The Legend of Zelda: The Last WoodElf
by akiurufu
Summary: A fan fiction that introduces several fan made characters into the series. The story takes place a year after the events of Twilight Princess. Leyla, who had confirmed her suspicions of not being human during her trek around Hyrule with Link and Jav, finds herself wandering who she is, what she is, and where she came from. Leyla is about to find this out, and much more.
1. Title and Prolouge

This is my very first fan fiction that I ever published. The prolouge isn't very good, but it's good enough of a kick start to what I belive, and what I hope you all think of as, a great story. Obviously, I wouldn't be able to hold a candle to great authors like Robert Jordan, but I can atleast try to get there!

Feel free to critique as you read, I appreciate every little bit that you say! Thank you, and, hopefully, you will enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

**The Legend**

**Of**

Zelda

The Last Wood-Elf

**I. Prologue**

Deep within the kingdom of Hyrule, there echoes a legend. A legend of three goddesses. Din, the goddesses of Power; Nayru, the goddess of Wisdom; and Farore, the goddess of courage. These three golden goddesses descended upon the chaos that was Hyrule. Din, with her flaming arms, cultivated the red earth. Nayru, with her wisdom, created the law of the world. Farore, with her kindred spirit, created the life that would uphold that law.

Then the goddesses, their labors completed, headed for the heavens, leaving behind them a golden relic, known as the Triforce. The Triforce was entrusted to the first race to have walked the lands, and the Wood-elves guarded the Triforce with their very lives. Eventually, the goddesses created the Humans, not as strong nor as powerful as the Wood-elves, but they helped build the world into a rich place.

Soon, the goddesses told the Wood-elves to place the Triforce inside the Humans' lands, and to guard the humans as well. The Wood-elves did as they were bidden.

Now, the Triforce had the power to grant its wielder's greatest desires. If the person who touches the Triforce has a pure heart, the Sacred Realm would become a paradise. But if someone with an evil heart were to touch it, the Triforce would break, and only the part of the Triforce that the evil one believes in will remain in his hand.

One such a day happened, when one with an evil heart touched the ancient relic. It broke into five, bestowing two boys and two girls with the other pieces, leaving the part of the Triforce that the evil believed in most, Power.

Why to four others, instead of two, you ask? The Triforce of Courage has too great a power for even a Wood-elf to wield safely, so it needed to be broken up into three. The three who possessed the Triforce of Courage fought all makers of evil, before battling the source of the chaos himself.

The evil king was locked away in the Sacred Realm. But that was not the last of him. Continuously, he found ways to break out of his prison, and he fought with the heroes' descendants. Always, in between battles, there was an era of peace. But then the evil king would somehow manage to rise up again, and would be beaten back down by the heroes' descendants. For thousands of years, this continued. Until one day, when he was slain. The three, Link, Leyla, and Jav, had done their ancestors' work, and killed him, only less than a year ago. They now live their lives, back in the place where it all started. Back in the place that they called home. Except…

Except to one, it did not feel like home. She had unlocked her true powers, and since then, she knew nothing of herself. She is now only filled with questions, and fear. Questions of who and what she is, or was, and fear, fear of what the answers might be. Fear, of herself.


	2. Chapter1:Visions

Chapter 1

Leyla ran down the dark, narrow hallway. The door at the end of it seemed to be slipping back further and further the faster she went. Leyla stopped chasing the evasive door and leaned against the cool wall, panting. She wiped her forehead free of sweat with her gloved hand.

How long was this going to take? Would she ever reach the door? What was beyond it? Leyla stood up, her determination rising as her patience left her. No matter how impossible it seemed, she was going to find out what was beyond that door.

AAAA

Leyla sat up in her bed faster than an arrow, panting. She raised a hand to her head, cold sweat running down her face. "What in the name of Din was that about?" she muttered. She stepped down onto the floor of her room, which was small enough for her to have a bed, small wardrobe, and smaller desk in. It was elevated from the floor by several feet, held securely upon a branch like fixture that had been added to the house shortly before she moved in with Link and Jav. Hers was the only real room, consisting of walls and a door, as she was the only female tenant of the house.

Leyla walked across the small room in two steps and opened the door. Directly across from her room was a window, which showed her that was very early morning, as the sky was barely pink at the edges. Below the window was where Link slept, his bed simply a mattress on the floor as he didn't make his room big enough for a proper bed. Link was sleeping soundly, growling a little in his sleep; something he had started doing ever since he had first turned into a wolf.

Leyla went back in her room and sat down on her bed, drawing her knees up close to her chest. She closed her eyes and began asking herself the same questions she had been for the past few days, "Why do I have these… dreams? Are they dreams, or visions? What in the name of Din do they mean?" Leyla chewed her lip. She hated it when she couldn't find the answer to something fast enough.

Leyla hopped off her bed and closed her door. She changed from her summer pajamas to her work clothes, and jumped down to the bottom floor, landing like a cat on all fours. Jav, Link's twin brother, cursed from birth to have a javelin point on his head, was in his bed near the fireplace, snoring loudly. She was considerably thankful for having walls and a door in her room.

Leyla quietly proceeded to the front door, opened it, skipped over the threshold and closed it. She turned from the house and made her way to Ordon Spring.

AAAA

Link stretched and sat up. The sun had just come over the distant hills, and outside, birds could be heard chirping as they searched for bugs and seeds. Link looked up at the window from which the suns golden light was spilling in from. He was going to have to get curtains for that window, someday. Some nice, thick, curtains. Link looked up at Leyla's room. She was gone, and had left her door open. She had only recently started doing that a couple weeks ago.

Link frowned at the door, then shrugged and stood up. There had been several times in which he had asked Leyla if she was all right, and she would answer with, "I'm fine, I just haven't been getting enough sleep lately." Recently, however, she had shortened it to a firm, "I'm _fine._"

Link pulled on his work clothes and climbed down the ladder. He passed the bookshelf level and climbed the next ladder down to the main level, where Jav's bed had been placed. Link went to the cupboards and grabbed a loaf of bread and a cup, then went to the jug of goats milk and, using the ladle, scooped some out and into his cup. After replacing the lid, he placed all his breakfast items on the table in the middle of the small room. He then turned to his twin brother, Jav, who was still snoring peacefully in his bed.

"Lazy bum," Link muttered, slicing himself a couple pieces of bread.

After his meal, Link walked over to Jav's bed, a sly smile on his face. He grabbed the blankets and quickly yanked them off his brother. Jav simply muttered and rolled over in his bed, then continued his loud snoring.

Link looked about the room, then spotted a pail of water. He grabbed it, and prepared to splash his brother with it. Then, feeling conservative, Link placed the bucket back where it was, finished off his milk, dipped the now empty cup in, and splashed the water in Jav's face.

Jav awoke with a loud spluttering and flailing of his arms. "_WHAT THE HECK? CAN'T A GUY GET SOME SLEEP AROUND HERE?_" Jav screamed. Link sat down in a chair, laughing so hard that he couldn't stand.

"It was just a little water," Link chuckled when his laughter had finally died down.

Jav glared at him, his eyes hard enough to bore holes through rock. "So, that was funny?" he asked.

"Oh yeah! No doubt!" Link started laughing again, tears coming to his eyes. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his nose. Link bent over, grabbing it. He looked up to see Jav rubbing his fist with his other hand.

"Shut up," Jav muttered angrily, the tips of his pointy ears turning red with frustration.

Leyla then came through the door. She looked from Link; who was gripping a now bloody nose, and Jav; who was rubbing a fist as though it hurt.

"Do I want to know what happened here?" she asked the rhetoric question out loud.

"No," Link said through his bloody nose. "By the way, how-?" Leyla cut him off.

"I'm fine, Link. You need to stop worrying." Leyla walked over to him, grabbed his wrist, and pulled it away from his nose.

"I swear, you two need babysitters." She pulled off one of her thick gloves and lightly touched the bridge of Link's nose. There was a soft green glow emitting from her finger tips for a brief second, then she pulled her hand away and covered it with her glove again.

Link frowned at her. "A babysitter?" he asked, clearly not amused.

"A whole army of them," Leyla answered, straitening up. She looked at the bread on the table, grabbed the knife and cut herself a few slices. She then headed for the door.

"Where're you going?" both Link and Jav asked at the same moment.

Leyla hesitated, her hand just above the door handle. "Just going to…go…milk…the goats," Leyla answered as though unsure of herself.

Link frowned even more. It was obvious that she was going somewhere else. Besides, he was in charge of milking the goats that day.

AAAA

As soon as Leyla was on the ground, Fado came up to her, apparently waiting for some sign that they were waking up without his help, and said, "Hey, why don't ya'll take the day off, ok? I've got everything handled, and ya'll could use one." He then patted Leyla's shoulder and smiled. Leyla knew that he was hoping that she was ok. It was no secret that she hadn't been herself since those… visions… had started.

Leyla smiled at him and said, "Ok, thanks!" She then walked a little ways down the road, turned back to see him climbing the ladder to the front door, and turned towards the forest, going straight back to Ordon Spring with her breakfast.

Leyla sat down at the sandy bank of the spring, watching as the small waterfall that was fed by a river leading deeper into the forest caused the water to race towards the bank, only to recede back into the spring again. The small, pink fairies that they had released in the Cave of Ordeals floated and danced above the water's surface.

Leyla nibbled at her bread, and tore up the last piece, tossing the crumbs into the spring. Fish and fairies alike raced towards the pieces of bread, hoping to get a taste of the human snacks.

Leyla started to feel tears at the brims of her eyes. Soon, she was silently crying for the family she never knew, for the images of faceless people, calling her their daughter. She brought her knees up to her chin, wrapped her arms around her legs, and cried into her knees.

After all the bread had been eaten, and the last few fairies and fish had stopped looking for any leftovers and all returned to as it had been before, Link came around the gate to the Spring with a small bucket in his hand. He saw Leyla shaking with tears at the edge of the spring. He set the bucket down and sat next to her, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Leyla jumped in surprise, then turned to him and cried on his shoulder. He brought his other arm around her, and held her as she cried.

Leyla finally silenced herself, and, with her voice still trembling, she whispered "I keep having these strange dreams." She looked up at him. "They have some sort of explanation, I just know it! But I can't figure it out."

Link reached into one of his pockets and produced a handkerchief. He handed it to her, and she wiped her eyes with it. "Odd. You've been crying for who knows how long, and your eyes aren't even red." Link observed. Leyla handed him the handkerchief, more like slapped him in the face with it, really, and he put it back in his pocket.

"Not funny," Leyla muttered.

Link shrugged. He was only trying to lighten the mood. "Would you care to tell me what kind of dreams?" he asked.

Leyla looked at him for a moment, then sighed. She then told him about the dreams she had been having for the past few weeks.

Leyla finished, then looked back at Link, almost expectantly. Link chewed his lip as he thought, then he shrugged, saying, "Maybe they're just bad dreams?"

"But they hold so much meaning, I can feel it!" Leyla stood up. "They have to be something more like… visions!" Leyla shivered slightly. "I don't know why, but they, sort of scare me. It's almost as if, once I open that door, I'll be changed."

Link stood up and grabbed his bucket. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, you can talk to me about the dreams if you have any more of them," he suggested.

"Ok," Leyla answered. Link turned to fill the bucket with spring water, and Leyla turned to leave.

AAAA

Leyla ran down the dark, narrow hallway. This time, she reached the door. She grabbed the handle and turned it, but much to her dismay, the door was locked.

Leyla felt her wolf teeth grow as she growled. "What is behind that door?" she shouted, her voice echoing eerily up and down the hall.

"An ancient power," a woman's voice answered from behind her. Leyla turned, prepared to run, or fight, which ever was necessary, and found herself looking at a tall, pale woman, whose golden hair floated up into the air as though a wind had caught it and held it there. Her white dress hid her feet, and also stirred in the unfelt wind. Her eyes were ghostly white, and the seemed to pin Leyla to the door.

"Who… are you?" Leyla asked. She looked the woman up and down. She then realized that the woman was floating in the air.

"That, and many more questions, shall be answered in time." The woman answered. Her voice was sweet, yet eerie. "You must travel to the heart of the Sacred Grove. Alone."

"What? Why?" Leyla asked. The woman began to slowly fade away. "Wait!" Leyla called out frantically. "Why alone? Why there?"

The woman disappeared like dust in the wind. "_Travel to the heart of the Sacred Grove. Alone_." Those words echoed up and down the hall.

AAAA

Leyla sat up in her bed, cold sweat running down her face.

"All right," Leyla said, "at least it was a little different." She opened her door to look at out the window, it was still night out. Most likely midnight.

Leyla sighed. "I already don't get enough sleep, so why wake me up in the middle of the night?"

Leyla sighed, then closed the door. "What, for the love of Nayru, is going on?" Leyla added a chuckle. She hadn't cussed so much since last year.

Leyla sat down on her bed, waiting for morning to come, all the while contemplating the woman's words.

Link rolled over in his bed and was unsurprised to see that Leyla had left her door open once again. He pulled on his work clothes and went down the stairs. Jav was already up, cheerfully eating some bread, a letter lying open next to his plate. A letter of invitation from Zelda, no doubt. Almost every other week, Jav was getting invited for tea, or dinner, or even brunch, at the castle.

Link grabbed a few slices of bread before leaving the house. He went to Ordon Spring, expecting to see Leyla there as well. However, how he saw her, he had no way of expecting.

Leyla was wearing her green hero's clothes, and had her swords strapped to her belt. She looked up from the Spring when she heard Link approach, but she didn't turn to look at him. "Well," she started, "it was different." Link walked closer to her, and Leyla plunged into telling him about her dream in great detail. When she finished, she said, "I think I should listen to her."

Link looked at her, startled. "It was just a dream, Leyla. Why would you listen?"

"Because," Leyla looked at him, her green eyes full of determination, "I finally have something more to go on. I finally feel like I'm getting closer to what those dreams were about!" Leyla kicked at the sand. "And… I feel that if I do this, the dreams will stop."

"So, you're seriously thinking of leaving?" Link asked, hoping against hope that the answer would be a little unsure at least.

Instead, Leyla looked him straight in the eyes and said, "Yes." There was absolutely nothing unsure about the way she said that. "Link, this might help figure out more about myself! We already know that I'm not… well… human. I don't want to leave, not alone, anyways, but…" Leyla's voice started to waver.

Link put his arms around her, holding her tightly. It was hard for him to believe that Leyla would cry like this. Leyla, who had been so strong, who had told him and Jav that they had to keep fighting. Leyla, who had all these amazing powers, and who could do almost anything. It didn't seem fair to him that she had travel alone, with no help at all, when she had always been so ready to help anyone who asked.

"Go ask Zelda," Link said.

Leyla was silent. Link was sure that she was thinking.

"Go ask Zelda about the dream. Maybe her powers can tell you whether or not if it's a vision. If it is, I'll go with you."

"But, Link, the woman said I have to go alone," Leyla reminded him. "What if you coming causes something to happen?"

Link swallowed, and when he spoke, his voice faltered. "Then I will pray for your safety every day."

Leyla hugged Link, then broke away. "I should go, then," she said.

"I'll go get Storm!" Link offered. He then quickly made his way back to his house.

AAAA

The horses were both grazing in front of the house. When Link approached, Epona lifted her head and sniffed at him. Storm lifted his head as well, and pawed the ground. Link grabbed Storm's tack and got the gray stallion ready for travel. Epona looked expectantly at her master, but Link rubbed her nose and said, "Sorry, but this journey's just for Leyla right now." Epona snorted, then nuzzled Storm's shoulder, who nuzzled her back. Link then walked Storm back to Leyla, who was waiting just outside the Spring. Leyla took the reins from Link, and the grey stallion rubbed his nose against her cheek. He then turned to Link and did the same to him, as though saying good bye.

Leyla hugged Link, then reached up and kissed him. After what seemed like centuries, she broke away, and mounted Storm. She chirruped to Storm and trotted off.

Link watched as she left. He wished he could have gone with her. He shouldn't have let her go in the first place. Link felt tears trying to make their way out of his eyes, but he fought them back. For Leyla's sake, whether she was there or not, he was going to be strong. Link turned back into the village, saddled Epona, and went down to the ranch.


	3. Chapter2:Darkness

Leyla slowed Storm to a walk once they reached Faron Woods. Leyla looked around at her peaceful surroundings. "Why is it that when you have to leave somewhere, that place becomes more beautiful than anything?" Leyla muttered. She admired the way the sun shone through the leaves, leaving ever changing patterns on the grassy forest floor. The birds seemed to dance as they looked for food on the ground and in the trees, and the butterflies flitted about, kissing the bobbing flowers every now and then. A sudden gust of wind caused the leaves in the trees to move, almost as if they were beckoning for her to stay.

Leyla hadn't noticed it, but she had brought Storm to a halt. The grey stallion grabbed at the reins hanging loosely over his strong neck and pulled impatiently. Leyla jumped in surprise, brutally woken from her reverie as the reins were jerked from her left hand.

"Ok, ok!" she said as she gathered up her reins again. "We'll go, Mr. Bossy!" Storm snorted at her, and she let him walk again. They passed Faron Spring as they went, its waters gurgling cheerfully in the sunlight.

Leyla frowned as they came closer to the gate. "I wish I had stayed," she admitted. Storm snorted again, and Leyla rolled her eyes. If there was anyone who could get her to finish what she started, it was her horse. They finally crossed the threshold that took them out to Hyrule Field. Leyla looked around at the majestic landscape and felt a shiver trickle down her spine.

"Well," Leyla said, gathering her reins and readjusting her seat in the saddle, "full speed ahead." Storm gave a short rear and bolted forward like an arrow. Leyla couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something about Hyrule felt… _odd_.

It wasn't long before Leyla and Storm had come to Lanayru Province, right in front of the Castle Town. Storm ran up the pavement, his hooves chiming like bells. He jumped over the steps leading to Castle Town, something which he and Leyla had decided to learn on a whim, and thudded across the draw bridge, slowing when he reached the town.

Several people recognized her. Well, almost everyone recognized her. They pointed her out to children and friends, greeted her, and tried to catch her attention in various ways. Leyla ignored most of them, saying nothing else but "hello," here and there.

Leyla reached the castle gates later than she would have liked, but there wasn't much that she could do about the throng of the town short of running them down. When she approached the guards, they told the townspeople to go about their own business, and, little by little, the crowd of people thinned and disappeared. The gates opened for Leyla, but before entering, Leyla dismounted and, holding Storm's reins tightly, asked one of the guards if anything strange had happened recently. She wasn't sure, but she wanted to know if anyone else could tell that a strange aura seemed to have descended upon Hyrule.

The guard she asked, who sounded like an elderly man ready for retirement, answered with, "Well, now that I think of it, there was a young man, 'bout your age, I'm guessing, who passed through here for an interview with the Princess, not long ago." The old man scratched his helmeted head. "Odd thing is, he wore a cloak with the hood up, in broad daylight! Couldn't see his face at all." The old man hesitated, before lowering his voice, "He also made my old bones feel more tired than usual, until he was a few feet away, then I was all back to normal."

"So, you just let him in?" Leyla asked incredulously.

"Well, he had an invitation, so I'm assuming that he was invited," the old man answered defensively. "I may be old, but I'm not insane!"

Leyla nodded and thanked the old man. She mounted Storm again, and trotted up to the castle. When she reached the court yard, a guard came up to take Storm's reins. Leyla dismounted, and as soon as she did, Storm stood stock still, his ears laced back. The guard decided against reaching for the reins as the stallion gave him a fierce stare.

When Leyla entered the castle, she felt a small tingling of what might have been nausea. She squashed it down, however, and followed the escort through the castle. Leyla couldn't help but remember the first time they had come to castle. It was all in Twilight then, and she was a wolf, as was Link. His brother, Jav, had turned into a Javelin, most likely due to the odd, metallic point on his head. That was the first time they met Midna, an odd imp at the time with a large mask covering only half of her face, and who apparently was truly the Twilight Princess.

Leyla felt slightly depressed by as she remembered how Midna broke the Mirror of Twilight, ceasing contact between the two worlds.

"Wait here." Leyla jumped in surprise as the escort spoke. The escort raised an eyebrow at her and continued, "The Princess is currently dealing with a visitor. If you wouldn't mind." He bowed and left.

Leyla leaned against a wall as she waited for her audience with Princess Zelda. The two guards posted at the door stood as still as stone, making it seem as though it was two show pieces of armor that had been left to guard the Princess.

After a few moments, Leyla heard what sounded like Zelda, yelling at whoever was in there with her. "No! For the thousandth time, no!" There was the strong feeling of magic being used, and Zelda said, "Be gone, demon!"

The second voice belonged to a man. Was this a lover's quarrel? Jav certainly wouldn't like that. "It would have been better if you had just done as I said in the first place!" Leyla felt a strong wave of nausea as some other kind of magic was used.

"What in the name of-?" Leyla looked at the two, unmoving guards. She reached her hand out, and tapped one on the shoulder. At her touch, the guard fell over, and the helmet fell off, revealing an empty suit of armor. Leyla gasped and jumped back into the other suit of armor, sending it crashing to the ground.

There was a pause of silence in the other room, and then the man said, "It would appear that we have a visitor." The doors suddenly opened, revealing a man with skin darker than a starless sky and glowing eyes redder than hot coals. His clothes were just a shade lighter than his skin, and they looked oddly familiar.

The young man grabbed her arm and pulled her into the room. Leyla's knees gave way, and her whole body shook with weakness. The young man forced her to stand, walked over to the middle of the room, and tossed her down in front of him. Leyla tried to get up, but her muscles refused to budge.

"How lovely." The young man said, his voice full of darkness, "I have two princesses with me, now!" He knelt down in front of Leyla and forced her to look at him. "And such a pretty newcomer, to boot," he added under his breath. There something about his face that reminded Leyla of Link.

"Now, Zelda." The young man dropped Leyla's face. "The secret?" He unsheathed a long sword out of the thin air, and Leyla suddenly felt even weaker. The man held the tip of the sword to Leyla's throat. "She will die, sooner or later, anyways. When that happens is up to you, princess." He looked back down at Leyla. "Too bad there's no one else around to use, a pretty little thing like her should be allowed to live a longer life, don't you think?" The man smirked, then shrugged, the sword tip becoming dangerously close to breaking skin on Leyla's throat. "Ah, well. Whatever happens, happens. All to the goddesses design and such trash that you humans say."

Zelda face reddened, and her grip tightened on her sword. She looked from Leyla to the man and back again.

Suddenly, Leyla eyes felt red hot. The man screeched and backed away from her, clutching his face, his sword dissipated into thin air.

Zelda ran over to Leyla and helped her up. She took her to the opposite end of the room, and set her down. Zelda spoke a few words in a language that Leyla didn't recognize, and silver barrier formed around Leyla, making her feel a lot better.

The dark man turned back to the two girls, revealing what looked like burnt marks on his face. He growled at them and said, "I will get that secret, Zelda. One way, or another. You aren't the only one who knows it!" The man took a step back, then snapped his fingers, turning into a wisp of smoke that fled through a window.

"Wh-who-? What was?" Leyla shook her head. She felt dizzy. "What just happened?"

Zelda took down the barrier protecting Leyla. "It was a Shade, a dark copy of a person, made from their blood. It retains all the feelings of evil that person ever had, and amplifies them. It will even share somewhat emotional connections to that person, or to whatever that person had strong feelings for." Zelda checked Leyla's forehead. "A slight fever…." she muttered.

"Who is he a copy of?" Leyla asked. Her head still felt dizzy, but she was feeling better. Just a little thirsty.

Zelda looked into Leyla's eyes, and said, "He called himself Dark Link."

Leyla was confused. That thing was an evil copy of Link? She grimaced. She was glad Link wasn't anything like that, she would have killed him.

"Dark Link…." Leyla muttered without realizing.

"Yes." Zelda said. She helped Leyla up, and walked her to the door. From there, Leyla walked on her own. "I'll send for the doctor." Zelda offered.

"No," Leyla said, shaking her head, "I'll go to Telma's bar."

Zelda looked at her in surprise. "Why would you want to go there?" Her voice was suspicious.

"I trust her more. And I don't need a doctor, really. I'm fine," Leyla assured the Princess.

Zelda shrugged, and lead Leyla down several flights of stairs, through long corridors, and out to the court yard. Zelda ordered a carriage to be prepared, insisting that Leyla shouldn't be riding in her current condition. Leyla had no choice but to accept, especially seeing as several men had already run off to prepare the said carriage. Storm whinnied and trotted over to his master. Leyla stroked his nose and used him to hold herself up. Maybe a carriage ride won't be so bad.

It wasn't long before the carriage was ready. It was pulled by two pure snow-white horses. Leyla entered the carriage, and Zelda followed. As they started moving, Zelda asked, "Was there some reason why you wanted to see me?"

"Oh, yeah!" Leyla said excitedly. She had completely forgotten about why she was even in the castle when she saw Dark Link. "It's bit of a long story, but, here goes." Leyla then told Zelda all about her dreams, how she felt that they were visions, what the woman said, and what Link had suggested.

Zelda's brow furrowed as she thought about what Leyla had told her, but after a few seconds, she looked back up and said, "I would suggest that you bring a companion with you, just in case."

"But-!" Leyla protested, but Zelda held up her hand.

"Leyla, you don't know who this woman is, you don't know what she wants. You should take someone with you who can be discreet. Unseen. Someone who can be a shadow."

"So, you're saying I should find someone like Midna?" Leyla said, her arms crossed.

"Or find Midna, herself." Zelda answered calmly.

"Midna broke the Mirror of Twilight!" Leyla fumed. "You saw her do it! There's no way she can come back!"

Zelda waited until Leyla had calmed down, cool serenity never straying from her face. "There are more ways than one to reach the realm of Twilight," she said.

The carriage lurched to a stop. The footman opened the carriage door, and Leyla stepped out. The door closed behind her, but the carriage waited. Leyla guessed that they would be there once she got back, just in case. Leyla walked down the short flight of steps that lead her to a small area often used to toss out anyone who had overstayed their welcome unseen. Leyla opened the door to Telma's bar, and stepped inside. A man played a fiddle in the corner, his music lively. In the back room, Leyla could see the resistance group, which had started calling themselves the Guardians of Hyrule after Ganondorf was defeated. Telma caught sight of Leyla from her place behind the counter, and immediately called out to her.

"Hey, there, honey! By Nayru, what's happened to you?" Telma came out from behind the bar and felt Leyla's forehead. "You're burnin' up! Come over here, and I'll get a glass of something." She escorted Leyla to the table where group was sitting.

Ashei looked Leyla up and down, saying, "Got bested in a fight, did you?" she asked.

Shad shook his head, saying, "Of course not! She must be sick!" He looked at Leyla, who had just sat down and asked, "Is it a flu? A cold? Rabies?"

Auru burst out laughing. "Rabies? Where did you get that idea, lad?" he asked.

Shad tightened his grip on the book he had been reading. It seemed to be a book about various diseases.

Leyla waited until they were all quiet. Telma set a steaming cup of milk in front of her, and sat down. Leyla took a deep breath, and explained what had happened in Hyrule Castle, leaving out the part where she found out who the shade was a copy of.

Everyone was silent for a few seconds, then Auru said, "I saw that guy on the street, earlier. I knew there was something about him that made me feel sick. Literally."

Leyla nodded, then took a sip of the milk, and immediately gagged. "What?" she exclaimed, looking at the cup.

"Oh!" Telma said, jumping up, "I had put some herbs in there. Just to help with the fever." Telma took the cup from Leyla and sniffed it. She brought away from her face, a look of disgust on it. "Perhaps those herbs were not meant to be put into a glass of milk." Telma took the cup behind the counter to clean it out. Leyla followed her and pulled up a seat behind the counter.

"Telma," Leyla said, and Telma turned around, dropping the cup in her sink carelessly. "Can I tell you something important? Something a bit secretive?" Leyla asked.

Telma leaned forward and asked, "How small do you want the circle?"

"Well, right now, it's just me, Zelda, and Link. But, I want to hear your opinion, too." Leyla then told her about the dreams, then skipped over to Zelda's advice, not mentioning Midna. Louise, Telma's cat, hopped up in middle of Leyla's explanation, and curled down in front of Leyla, who started stroking her soft fur.

"What did the woman look like, again?" Telma asked.

"Blonde hair, sorta high cheek bones, I guess. Her eyes were all white, but I think there was some blue in there, a blue green." Leyla said. "Why?"

"Oh, it just sounds like someone I know." Telma sat down on the stool she kept behind the counter. "Let me think." Telma stared at the counter top. Then her eyes flickered to Leyla's face, and she gasped. "By the Tri-Force." She grabbed Leyla's shoulders and examined the girls face closely. Louise, who had gotten caught in the middle, meowled and jumped off the counter, hissing at Telma.

"I know who it is!" Telma shouted out excitedly. The group in the backroom looked over at them in surprise. "Go about your own business!" Telma barked.

"Who?" Leyla asked, releasing herself from the bar lady's grasp.

"Her name was Malia. She was the High Princess of the Wood-Elven kingdom," Telma answered dramatically.

"A Wood-Elf?" Leyla asked incredulously. "A royal Wood-Elf?"

"Yup," Telma answered, nodding. "She would visit Hyrule with her father every now and then. I met her when she was around your age." Telma smiled at the memories. "She eventually started coming to me for advice on all sorts of things."

"Like what?" Leyla asked.

"Well, one of her problems was that she was engaged to someone against her will. He was another royal Wood-Elf. Thallmas was his name; he was prince of one of the Lesser Kingdoms."

"Lesser kingdoms?" Leyla asked, confused.

Telma sighed in exasperation, and then said, "There are three lesser kingdoms, and the main kingdom. Much like our provinces. Only, in each of the Lesser Kingdoms, there is a small royal family to keep an eye on things. The Wood-Elf lands are large, you know. But anyways, Malia was the Princess of the Main Kingdom, and Thallmas was Prince of one of the Lesser Kingdoms." Louise jumped back up onto the counter. "Now, Malia was upset over her engagement, but after talking to me about it, her rant seemed to turn into praise!" Telma laughed, scaring Louise away again.

"Oh," Leyla said. She found it to be quite the revelation that Telma, the owner of a bar, had been friends with one of the most important Princesses of the Wood-Elf kingdom!

Telma looked at Leyla's face, examining her features carefully. "You know," she said, rubbing her chin, "you look a bit like her. In fact, you are the perfect example if Thallmas and Malia ever had a child." Telma thought for a moment, then asked, "How old are you?"

"16," Leyla answered, feeling confused.

"Do you know your parents?" Telma pressed. She seemed intent on drawing out every bit of information about the matter that she could.

"No, I don't. Rusl told me that he had found me in Hyrule Field, on Storm. He said that I looked knocked out, probably because of bandits. That was around 13 years ago." Leyla explained. "He and his wife, Uli, raised me until I was 9, then they needed more space for Colin, so I was offered a room by Link's uncle."

"13 years ago." Telma repeated. "That was around the time that the Wood-Elves suddenly disappeared." Telma tapped her chin, then said, "Maybe you're one? Maybe you're the one that got away?"

"What?" Leyla nearly fell off her stool. "Me? A Wood-Elf? Isn't that stretching it just a bit? I mean, yeah, I have powers, but I also have part of the Triforce of Courage. Maybe that gave me the powers?"

"Why you and not the other two?" Telma asked. She walked over to where she kept her kitchen utensils and grabbed a slim knife. Leyla was expecting her to grab some vegetables or something as well. "It's worth a test at least, right?"

"What kind of test?" Leyla asked, eyeing the knife when Telma didn't make a move towards her food cabinet.

"Well, a friend of mine once told me that a way to tell whether or not you have Wood-Elf blood is to check your blood. You see, Wood-Elves have what looks like a gold tint to their blood." Telma held the knife out to Leyla.

"What?" Leyla exclaimed. "That's crazy!"

"Do you want to find out or not?" Telma asked, putting the knife on the counter. "It's clean," she added.

Leyla looked at the knife, took her glove off her left hand, and picked the knife up. She used the tip to give herself a prick on the finger. A small stream of blood trickled down and dripped onto the counter top. Leyla and Telma both bent over her hand to examine it. The blood was red without a hint of anything else.

"Well," Telma shrugged, grabbing a rag to wipe up what fell on the counter.

"Worth a try," Leyla quoted. She stood up and focused power into the tiny wound, healing it. She then put her glove back on and, after saying good-bye, left the bar.

Zelda was waiting outside the door, apparently ready to enter the bar. "Any better?" she asked. Leyla nodded. "Good." She started to walk back to the carriage, making sure that Leyla was following. "Before you leave, I want to tell you something."

"Ok, shoot." Leyla said. Zelda looked back at her, a quizzical expression on her face. "What's up?" Leyla said. She knew that Zelda was familiar with several expressions used in Ordon. Apparently, 'shoot,' wasn't among them.

"Well," Zelda said, motioning for her to be in the carriage. Leyla entered, and Zelda closed the door and made sure the windows were sealed and covered by the curtains. "There is a Darkness threatening to overtake Hyrule again. It's like a rebound from when we defeated Ganondorf. The Shade, dark Link, he was merely a messenger of ill-will. I have a feeling that he is on a quest to bring Ganondorf back to life."

"Is that possible?" Leyla asked. She knew of some powerful magic, but she didn't know whether anyone was strong enough with magic to bring someone back from the dead.

"Yes. It hasn't been explained much in schools, but Ganondorf has made several reappearances throughout time. Now, he is making another return. Leyla, we must not let anyone else know about this, except for the few involved. This includes Jav, Link, and the group in Telma's bar." Zelda bright blue eyes blazed with determination. Leyla nodded in understanding.

"All right," Leyla answered, "I'll keep it quiet, then." Leyla was about to exit the carriage, when a question popped into her head. "Earlier you said to find Midna. How am I supposed to do that?"

Zelda smiled. "We have always been connected to the Twilight Realm. The Mirror of Twilight was simply a focus point; a key that could be used to open the door even when night and day had not met."

Leyla exited the carriage. She mounted Storm, who had followed the carriage closely, and exited to Hyrule Field. She rubbed the big stallion's neck and said, "Guess what, Storm? After we go tell Link what happened, we're going to one of the biggest tourist attractions Hyrule has to offer, The Great Bridge of Hylia."


	4. Chapter3:Shattered Mirrors

Leyla had Storm at a trot, giving herself time to think over what had just happened, what she had been told, and what she had to do.

Dark Link, a new enemy, was causing problems, and, as disturbing as it was, seemed to be harboring a crush for her. Telma told her that she just might be a Wood-Elf, and then proved that she wasn't. Zelda had told her to go find Midna, despite the fact that the Twilight Princess had broken the Mirror of Twilight.

Leyla rubbed her head. Between everything that had happened and the mission she now had before her, it felt like she was getting a migraine.

As she and Storm passed some trees, Leyla pulled the stallion to a stop. She dismounted and sat down at the base of the tree. Storm bumped his nose against her shoulder, and then whickered, asking why she had stopped.

"I need a rest," Leyla answered, stroking the stallion's nose. Storm bumped her shoulder again, and then started grazing. Leyla massaged her temples. Her head ache was ebbing away, however slowly.

After several minutes of rest, Leyla called Storm over to her. The grey stallion happily trotted over to her. Just Leyla had finished checking his girth, however, she felt a pair of eyes watching her. She looked back towards the trees, searching with only her eyes. She mounted Storm and walked him closer to the tree she had just been under. The leaves rustled as she approached, despite the absence of any wind. Leyla reached for one of her dual swords, psyching herself for an attack.

The leaves stopped rustling, and nothing could be heard except for her own breathing accompanied by Storm's, and the occasional chirping of a bird. Leyla felt the stallion's body tense under her as the silence continued. Leyla sighed and relaxed her hand, leaving the sword in its sheath attached to her belt. Leyla was about to turn Storm to head back to Ordon, when something brown and furry flung itself at her.

Leyla grabbed the thing and was about to reach for one of her swords when she recognized who and what it was.

"Mink!" she exclaimed. The long, brown, semi-aquatic weasel let out a pathetic squeak, pleading to be let go. Leyla ignored its request and asked, "Is Tam nearby?" The mink, Mink, squawked at the sound of Tam's name. Leyla took that as a yes.

"Tam!" Leyla called out. Before long, a tall, dirty boy clothed in bear fur descended from one of the other surrounding trees. He crossed the short plain quickly, coming up to Leyla. When he was next to Storm, he looked up at Leyla with a smile and a nod in greeting.

"I believe this is yours?" Leyla asked, handing Mink over.

"Yeah," Tam took Mink, his sharp, green, cat-like eyes narrowing into annoyance as he accepted the creature. "It's bath time, whether you like it or not, Mink!" he growled at the small weasel. Mink pretended to faint, or perhaps play dead, in Tam's hands. Either that, or Tam was holding him too tightly. "Besides that, you were spying! On a girl! And not just any girl, you were spying on Link's girl! How many times do I have to tell you? Don't spy on people!"

Leyla raised an eyebrow at this statement. Link's girl? If that's what Tam thought of her, she was going to have a talk with him, and Link.

Mink squawked in the tall boy's hands, shaking his paws around like tiny fists. Tam continued arguing with the small weasel the way one does when berating a five-year-old. "What do ya mean, I never told you?" Another squawk. "Well, that's probably because it never occurred to me!" Another, long squawk. "No, that doesn't make it ok! Why should it?"

Leyla had to suppress the giggles that kept fighting to come up. Tam never ceased to amuse her. He was a sweet, if somewhat awkward boy who had lived with animals as his only companions for years. Ever since meeting him last year, Tam had started calling Link his best friend, and Leyla his _onee-chan_, although, Leyla was sure that he was older. He didn't really like Jav, but seemed to love arguing with him. Leyla was amazed with his ability to speak with animals, and felt that they were connected in that way, as she could also communicate with them.

Leyla shook her head, breaking away from her reminiscing. She said her good-byes to Tam, though she was sure that her words were lost as he fought with Mink, and continued on to Ordon. As she got closer to Faron Woods, the sky grew cloudier. At first, Leyla figured that it was getting ready to rain. But after she entered the forest, it became apparent that those clouds were caused by some sort of evil nature. The grass along the forest was dry, and there were many grey leaves covering the ground. The trees were bare and menacing, their branches reaching out as if to grab any intruders. Bushes half the size of Storm were strewn everywhere, making it impossible to pass through without getting scratched. Leyla dismounted.

"What in the name of-? How? Why?" She walked further into the forest, Storm following. Leyla focused her energy and did something that set her apart from all the other occupants of Hyrule, even Tam. She transformed herself into one of the four elemental creatures she could: a small, grey wolf with a white belly, an ability that the Spirit of Lanayru had helped her unlock last year.

She sniffed at the ground, and slowly proceeded into the forest. The scent of the whole forest was different, smelling like that of a giant monster. Any scent of an enemy was masked under the scent of the forest. She wrinkled her nose, and then returned to her normal form. Storm walked up to her and nickered, almost like a mutter. She took his reins and led him through the forest. She passed the area where the Faron Spirit should have been, but view of it was blocked off by tall trees and snaring bushes.

Leyla eventually made it to the bridge that connected Ordon Province to Faron Province. The bridge looked like it was decaying, and several boards were missing. Leyla put one foot on a board, and pressed. The board creaked, but stayed. Leyla slowly made her way across. Storm attempted to follow, but as soon as he stepped on the first board, it gave way. The grey stallion snorted and back away, his ears drawn back.

Leyla looked behind her to see Storm pawing the ground.

"I'll be ok!" Leyla called back to the horse. Storm snorted, but stopped pawing.

Leyla slowly continued across. There was a loud crack, and a snapping sound from behind. Leyla looked back again. The ropes were giving away! Leyla ran forward, hoping that she wouldn't have to transform again. She was getting so close to the other side of the bridge, when the board she stepped on disappeared from underfoot, and she fell.

Storm looked over the edge of the cliff. His master disappeared into the darkness below. He whinnied, his voice echoing down the deep chasm. A dull, green light flashed down below, and there was the sound of an eagles screech. A few seconds later, a golden-bodied being flew up and out of the chasm, then landed on all fours at the other side. Leyla had transformed into a second creature, one that was half bird, half lion. She transformed back and stood up, rubbing her head.

"That was fun," she panted. "Hope I don't have do that again." She looked back at the bridge, which was now only a couple of ropes that were hanging from either side of the chasm. "Spoke too soon," she muttered. Unless she found some way to jump from one side to the other, she was going to have to transform again.

Leyla walked through Ordon forest, which seemed untouched by whatever was causing Faron Woods to seem so evil. Leyla kicked the ground. She didn't mind transforming, it was really rather fun. However, it made her feel uncomfortable, too. It proved to her, and those around her, that she wasn't human. When she and Telma were doing the blood test, she had hoped that there would be a small shimmer of gold, just so that she knew what she was. Now, all she could think of was that she was some sort of being that didn't belong here. Perhaps she was some strange monster?

Leyla shook her head. She was being stupid. Perhaps she had a very small amount of Wood-Elf blood, from somewhere over the centuries? Or, maybe she was simply gifted with incredible magic, like Zelda, and several other people throughout Hyrules history?

Leyla stopped and blinked. She was already in Ordon Village. She turned to her right, where Epona was grazing in front of the house she shared with the twins. She rubbed the mare's neck, then climbed the ladder and entered the house.

Leyla looked around. No one was home. The chairs were placed neatly at the table, and the dishes were piled nicely in the sink. Everything was clean, almost spotless. A little too spotless.

Leyla left the house, thinking that perhaps the boys were at the ranch. The too-clean-house was probably just Link trying to distract himself from his concern for her, right? Leyla bit her lip. Something odd was going on. She went down into the main part of the village, where everyone else lived. Talo and Malo were playing swords, Beth was playing with her dolls, and Collin was fishing with his father while his mother watched and chatted with Sera, the shop owner and Beth's mother. Talo and Malo's parents were talking to Sera's husband, and mayor Bo was sitting on his porch, asleep, while Ilia carefully carved away at a piece of wood.

Leyla went around the village, asking everyone if they had noticed anything odd. Everyone said that nothing strange had happened, and that they didn't know where Link and Jav were. Just as Leyla was about to leave the village, Collin, who had remained silent up to now, grabbed her glove and said, "I saw something."

Leyla knelt down so that she was at eye level with the boy. "What was it?" she asked.

"Well," Collin shifted his feet, "it was a man. He had a big cloak on, so I didn't see him very well. He was at your house. I saw him while I was going to go visit." The small boy shifted his feet again. "He made me feel weird, like I was sick. So, I left."

Leyla hugged Collin and said, "Thank you."

Collin hugged her back and asked, "Are Link and Jav going to be ok?"

Leyla thought for a few seconds. Scenarios ran through her head about the twins. Most of them weren't very pleasant. "I don't know," she answered honestly.

"But, you'll save them, right?" Collin asked, looked up into Leyla's eyes.

Leyla nodded. Collin smiled, then ran back to his dad. Leyla straightened up and walked away. As soon as she was out of sight of the village, she ran back to the house. She climbed that ladder as fast as she could, opened the door and ran in, not even caring to close it.

She checked all the levels of the house, including the basement. No one was hiding anywhere. Leyla double checked everywhere, again and again. The sun had slipped behind the hills and given way to the moon by the time she had given up her frantic, yet futile, searches. She pulled one of the chairs from the table and sat on, then sprung back up again. She looked at what it was she had sat on, lifting it up. It was a shard of a mirror, as wide as her shoulders were, and the height of the tip of her head down to her chest. Blue eyes stared back at her instead of her own green.

"Link?" Leyla asked, shocked.

The blue eyes in the mirror blinked, and the reflection answered, "You can see me!" Leyla nearly dropped the shard in surprise. "Jav! I told you people can see us!" Suddenly, Jav's pointed head started pushing into view.

"Who is it? Let me see! Get your fat head out of the way!" Jav pushed Link away and looked out through the mirror, his own blue eyes squinting as he looked out. "Oh, it's Leyla," he said, a mild disappointment in his voice.

"How did this happen?" Leyla asked.

Link pushed himself back into view, but still let Jav be seen, too. "It was this weird, cloaked guy," he answered. "He came in without knocking, and demanded to know where you were." He jabbed a thumb at his brother. "Metal-Head, here, told him where you went."

"I didn't know who he was!" Jav yelled defensively.

"All the more reason to not say anything," Leyla said, then continued, "When did he come?"

"He was here only a while after you left, so I'd guess that by the time you had left the forest, he was here," Link answered, "he got his information, then tried to leave. I was about to stop him, ask who he was, but right when I touched him, I felt, weird."

"His cloak fell off, and he didn't look human, especially with his eyes." Jav added.

"Dark Link," Leyla muttered.

"What?" Link asked.

"His name was dark Link, he's a copy of you. A Shade, is what Zelda told me," Leyla explained.

"How did Zelda know about him?" Jav asked.

"Well, he was at the castle. He got there before I-"

"I LEAD THAT GUY TO THE CASTLE!" Jav yelled, pushing Link out of view. "IS SHE OK? IS ZELDA HURT? I'M GONNA MAKE THAT RED-EYED FREAK PAY IF HE HURT HER!" Jav's face turned red with anger.

"No, she's fine. The only one who was physically hurt was me, and a couple guards," Leyla answered before Jav could continue with his threats. "It looked like he was trying to get information from her."

"Are you all right?" Link asked. Jav was still preventing him from coming into view.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Leyla said. "Anyways, Dark Link turned you into a mirror?"

"Well, not exactly," Link said, successfully pushing Jav away. "You see, he made this big mirror, tall as Jav is, and pushed us in. It's like were in another dimension."

"What's it like?" Leyla wondered out loud.

Link seemed to back away from the mirror. The void in which they now resided was white and empty, as well as incredibly spacious.

Link walked back to the mirror's surface and said, "There are other pieces of the mirror. This, Dark Link, broke them off like Zant did to the Mirror of Twilight and hid them. We can see through them, but we don't get much out of them. One of them is just dark."

Jav stepped into view again and said, "I'm guessing that they need to be rearranged from the outside of this world. I've already tried moving the other pieces, but I can't touch them."

"Well," Leyla sighed, sitting down again, "I already have a couple missions; I guess I could add another one to the list."

"Oh, yeah," Link said, remembering something. "What did Zelda say about your dreams?"

"They're legit visions, but she doesn't trust them. So, I have to get Midna's help. She can hide in my shadow, maybe, so that it still seems like I'm alone," Leyla answered.

"But, Midna broke the… How can you…? What?" Link blabbered, confused. "I thought she had the Tri-Force of _Wisdom_?"

Jav answered this by smacking Link upside the head, though he looked like he wanted to punch him. "Shut up! Of course she has Wisdom!" He looked out at Leyla. "However, that does seem impossible. What was her explanation to do it?"

"She didn't give me any 'how-to' instructions, but she gave me enough information to have an idea," Leyla answered. She looked out the window; the sun was starting to rise. "I better get going…." She began to stand up, when Link pushed into complete view.

"Hey! Don't leave us!" he said.

"But what if this thing breaks?" Leyla asked.

"It's already broken. Besides, he broke it with magic, so that might be the only way to break it," Link said fervently.

"All right," Leyla sighed. She looked around the house, and found a cloth and a saddle bag that the shard would fit in. She wrapped the shard carefully with the cloth, then secured it inside the saddle bag. Then, after looking around the house, she left, locking the door behind her.


	5. Chapter 4:An Old friend

When Leyla approached the broken bridge, she slung the saddle bag containing the mirror shard over her shoulder, transformed into a gryphon again, and leapt over the chasm with a single beat of her wings. She returned to her normal form and walked over to Storm, who raised his head from the patch of clover which he had been grazing in. She strapped the saddle bag to him and mounted. Slowly, they started to make their way through the cursed forest.

Leyla looked around. The trees seemed a lot more hostile-looking than before. A crow's guttural cry spooked Storm, but Leyla held him steady, gripping his reins tightly. An overhead branch threatened to sweep Leyla from Storm's back, but she lifted it using her uncommon strength. She let go at just the wrong moment, however, and branch came back down with a loud _snap!_ on Storm's hind quarters. Storm immediately bucked, throwing his master off, then, still feeling spooked and threatened, ran off, his reins flying behind him.

The worst part was that, while she wasn't in the saddle anymore, Leyla's foot had gotten caught in the stirrup! Leyla tried frantically to kick the stirrup off, all the while shouting for Storm to stop. The horse slowed as the path became narrower and narrower, but he didn't stop. After a few moments of struggling, Leyla was able to give a big enough kick that the stirrup released her foot.

She quickly stood up and ran through the forest after her horse. The horse had stopped not far off, his saddle pulled sideways and the reins caught up in a tree. Leyla slowly approached Storm, who was now pawing the ground nervously. Leyla spoke softly to the horse, and he turned his head towards her. Leyla stroked his nose soothingly, then reached up to untangle the reins from the tree. She then turned her attention to the saddle, which was in a bad shape. The pommel had been ripped clean off, and the pommel had a deep gouge in it, no doubt from the trees. Leyla took the saddle off and removed the saddle bag. She opened it and checked to see if the shard was safe. There were no broken pieces. Leyla sighed in relief.

Leyla strapped the saddle bag to herself, figuring that if nothing but magic could break, she may as well wear it, and mounted Storm, bareback. Storm's ears twitched, not uncomfortable with this method of riding, but not entirely familiar, either. Leyla turned the horse, gripping him with her knees.

Storm kept his pace at a slow walk. Leyla left most of the guiding to Storm, as he could see what was directly in front of them easier than she could. It wasn't long before another problem presented itself.

A soft rustle could be heard to Leyla's right. Leyla pulled on the reins, and Storm stopped and both horse and master listened. The rustling grew quieter, as if whatever it was had stopped moving. Then, a guttural voice spoke in a language that Leyla couldn't understand, but had heard before.

"Bulblins," she muttered. She slowly and quietly unsheathed one of her swords, and heard the rustling again, this time from all around her. Storm took an uneasy step back as the creatures showed themselves, ugly green skin wrapped in a hodgepodge uniform of random rags and cloths. Some of them wielded cleavers, while others held maces menacingly. Leyla unsheathed her second sword, leaving her belt bare. She squeezed Storm's sides even tighter with her knees, her green pants rubbing mud into his grey coat. She wasn't about to let these guys slow her down, no way.

Leyla crossed her swords in front of her, waiting for one of the Bulblins to make the first move. At first, they seemed to be on the verge of running away, no doubt because they saw the determination and confidence in her green eyes. Then, one of the ones to Leyla's left launched itself at her, mace held high. Leyla thrashed out with one of her swords, faster than lightning. The Bulblin fell to the ground and exploded into ash. Leyla crossed her swords again and smirked. Simpletons.

Then, almost all at once, the Bulblins charged. Leyla's swords flashed, and ash filled the air as Bulblin after Bulblin met her swords. Storm reared and turned around, allowing Leyla to face the enemies that had been behind her. After a few seconds, the small path that Leyla and Storm had been travelling was Bulblin free. Leyla had managed to get away without scratch, with only her green tank shirt and her matching pants being ripped here and there. An easy fix.

Leyla was about to sheath her swords when she heard a loud roar. Storm whickered and took a tentative step back, his ears flashing back and forth. The roar sounded again, behind the two. Leyla turned Storm, preparing herself for whatever was approaching. There was a loud crashing as underbrush was crushed as something huge approached. Then, a large, reptilian being appeared. Leyla sighed. It was only Spear, Jav's odd mount and friend that he had found as an egg in the forest and, against every single villagers' protests, hatched and raised to be his companion. Looking to be out of a history book from before Hylian times, Spear grew to be a bright red reptile with a broad back and large head. He was also intelligent enough to speak, something which Link found out when telling him to stay one day; the blue eyes boy nearly choked on air when the creature repeated his words. No one knew exactly what he was, though Rusl would go into a detailed lecture about how he must be a tyrannosaurus-rex, a specie supposed to be extinct for millions of years. Leyla would have called him a Lizalfos, but he was much too big with arms much too small, not to mention that his back was built in such a way that it was horizontal whenever he was "upright".

Spear slowly approached Leyla. Seeing as he was the size of two horses, he reached in two strides. Spear shifted his weight on his two back legs, his tiny front legs curled up against his broad chest. "Hello," he softly growled.

"Hello," Leyla answered. "Where have you been?" she added.

Spear cocked his large head to the side as his mind worked to bring the words he needed together. "I was here," he answered slowly, "and it got dark. And the bridge broke. And I'm stuck." The reptile looked pleased with himself for his long string of words.

Leyla nodded. It made sense; Spear was too big to stay in the village and be provided for at the same time, so he would go off into Ordon or Faron Woods, looking for something to eat. Sometimes he would even bring back some extra food for the village.

Spear looked behind him, then turned his body so that he could point at the wreckage behind him with his tiny arms, "I broke through," he said, smiling toothily.

Leyla nodded, and then looked at the 'path' he had made. It wasn't very smooth, but big enough for fast travel. Then, she had an idea.

"Spear!" she said, catching the reptile's attention. The red mount turned to her, his arms curling back up to his chest like a squirrels. "I need you to make a path to Hyrule Field for me. Can you do that?"

Spear sat silent as he processed what she had said, then he grinned, a frightening spectacle, really, and nodded. "Yes!" he said excitedly. He then passed Leyla and started plowing through the trees, knocking them over, and crushing bushes under his clawed feet. Leyla gave Storm a small kick, but the stallion didn't need any encouragement to move. He followed Spear slowly, picking his way over the remnants of bushes and roots from overturned trees. It wasn't long before Leyla noticed that she was passing the Faron Spring. A few more quickened strides, and she was out of the woods, literally. Spear shuffled to the side to let Leyla through, and Leyla patted the red reptile's shoulder, causing him to turn his head away bashfully.

"Good boy," Leyla said, "remind me to get you a treat later." Spear nodded, and Leyla knew that the reptile was going to hold her to that until she fulfilled her promise.

Leyla kicked Storm into a gallop, squeezing with her knees to stay on. She directed him to the Great Bridge of Hylia, taking the shortest route to Lanayru Province. Leyla slowed Storm as they approached the bridge. Falbi's colorful Flight-By-Fowl house stood within reach. Leyla shook her head at it though. "I am not going to make an idiot of myself." She had Storm trot out to the middle of the bridge, and then dismounted. She got up onto the side of the bridge, wobbling slightly on the sloping rail. Storm nickered in protest, but Leyla ignored him. She closed her eyes, then leaned forward, performing a graceful swan dive. She opened her eyes just before she hit the water, and she flapped her wings as they appeared, sending herself rising towards the far desert. Her tail briefly broke the surface of the water, but the movement up was gracefully nonetheless.

Leyla flapped her wings until she felt an air current rising in her favor. She rode it, aiming herself to the Gerudo Desert. As soon as she was above the desert, she aimed herself lower, making a sharp dive towards her destination; the top of Arbiters Grounds, the old dungeon used to sentence traitors of Hyrule to a different realm, the Twilight Realm. Leyla felt herself hesitate, allowing herself to rise in the air slowly. What if this didn't work? What if Zelda was wrong? Well, for starters, she would have to go into the 'Heart of the Sacred Grove' alone after all, and another thing is that she wouldn't be able to see Midna. Leyla shook her head, causing herself to waver in the air, and dived forward, her wings opening slowly as she approached the ground. She glided into a landing, then returned to her normal form. Leyla walked over the round dais that stood in the middle of the roof, surrounded by the tall, winged pillars. On the dais was an empty frame that the Mirror of Twilight had once been held in. In front of the dais was a large black stone with chains wrapped around it. It was there that enemies had been bound and sent into the Twilight Realm. It was there that the door way to the Twilight realm opened.

Leyla sat down on the dais, feeling anxious. The sun was still high in the sky, but would be twilight in only a couple of hours, perhaps less. Leyla leaned against the empty Mirror Frame and wrapped her arms around her legs. She hoped this worked. She hoped she would be able to see her friend. She hoped, she hoped….

Leyla sat in a tense silence for an hour, nodding on and off. She probably should have taken a nap, or something. This day had been nothing short of eventful. Leyla awoke with a start when she realized that she was sleeping, then scrambled to her feet when she noticed that the sun was setting. Leyla stood up, anxious to see what happened. At first, disappointment crossed her face as nothing did happen. The twilight reached its peak, and Leyla was about to turn to leave, when she saw it. A spark. Small, and insignificant, but a spark nonetheless, right in the middle of the frame, where the center of the Mirror would be. Leyla reached out, hesitated and touched it. At first, the spark faltered and faded, and Leyla felt a wave of guilt at what she had done. But then, a loud explosion sounded, following the disappearance of the spark, and a beam as thick as her wrist appeared, starting from where the spark had been, and ending where the portal to the Twilight Realm opened up in the rock. The steps that appeared weren't as grand as the ones that would appear from the power of the Mirror, but they were steps either way. Leyla raced up them, and willed herself to be transported into the Twilight Realm.

Leyla gasped when she saw the town in the Twilight Realm. It almost looked like a replica of Hyrule Castle Town, only slightly smaller. Shops lined the walk ways, and apartments and house were squared off to certain parts of town. Straight through the town was the Palace of Twilight, in all its splendor. Leyla started forward. Many of the Twili looked at her, but that was it. No one attacked her, or tried to communicate with her. No one ran and hid or cried out in fear. They simply watched.

Leyla stared straight ahead, drinking everything in. The sky was still and orange-ish red, and dark, ever shifting clouds still presided over everything. The town's vendors were selling odd-looking fruits and strange-smelling meats. The Twili were dressed in tunics and dresses, not at all different from Hyrule. Leyla passed them all, coming up to the entrance of the Palace. The guards stopped her, crossing large spears in front of her.

"Um," Leyla said, uncertainly, "I'm looking for Princess Midna?" she said hesitantly.

The guards looked at each other and conversed in their strange language that no Hylian tongue could begin to use. Eventually, one of the guards tunred to her and said, "Follow." The guards retracted their spears, and the one who had spoken began to lead the way to the Palace.

Leyla followed on the guard's heels. To her surprise, instead of entering the palace directly, the guard went to the side and pointed to a painted part on the platform. Leyla looked at it, recognizing the pattern to be the kind that marked where a floating platform could be found. Leyla stepped on it, the markings glowed bright blue, then rose off the ground, carrying her with it.

The platform went straight up, then deposited her on a balcony before disappearing. Leyla took a step forward, and when nothing came to stop her or attack her, she continued walking. She entered the palace, a part that appeared to be a throne room, and continued. She was stopped by another pair of guards before she could get very far, though. This time, however, the guards were pointing their spear tips at her in an aggressive manner.

Leyla began to back up, feeling as though she had walked into a trap. Her hands itched for her swords, but this was Midna's kingdom and she was pretty sure that the Twilight Princess wouldn't appreciate her taking down her guards.

"Hey!" a voice from behind called out. The guards immediately bowed, their spears crossing their chests.

Leyla turned, and was relieved, as well as elated, to see the tall form approaching her.

"I hope they didn't scare you off," Midna said playfully. She walked over and hugged her friend from the Light, smiling, her yellow-with-three-red-irises-eyes glinting with her happiness.

"Midna!" Leyla exclaimed. Muffled shouts emitted from the saddle bag tied around her waist.

"Did you stuff a couple people in there or something?" Midna asked, accompanying the statement with a chiming giggle.

"Not quite," Leyla said as she fished out the mirror shard. While she unwrapped the shard, she delved into what happened over the past two days.


	6. Chapter 5:All's Well

"Wow," Midna said, leaning back finally. She had been on the edge of her seat after Leyla had explained what had happened in Hyrule Castle, and had remained motionless until now.

"Yeah," Leyla said, chewing her lip.

"So, Zelda says that I need to go with you?" Midna asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yup," Leyla answered, still chewing on her lip.

Midna nodded, then picked up a small cracker from the plate set on the low table the two were sitting at. Leyla also grabbed one and popped it in her mouth, surprised when it tasted of cherries.

"So, now what?" Jav's voice made the two girls jump. The mirror shard had been propped up against a vase of red and black roses, and the boys trapped inside were growing impatient.

"Well," Leyla said, scratching her cheek.

"Now, we go the Sacred Grove's Liver or whatever," Midna answered jokingly. She turned back to Leyla. "I must ask," she leaned forward again, a purposeful gleam in her eyes, "have my Fused Shadows been sighted?"

Leyla nodded. "Zelda found them all, and gave them to us for safe keeping. They're in our basement right now, protected by magic." Leyla felt proud of herself whenever she thought of those spells. Zelda had told her about the spells, and Leyla performed them. Even the Hylian Princess, who was the best in all of Hyrule when it came to spells, had complimented her on her handiwork.

"Locks, too," Link chimed in. Of course, Link's use of more than three locks was to be noted, as well.

"And the wooden doors that I built. No one will get through those!" Jav announced triumphantly.

Leyla rolled her eyes. Yes, Jav's craftsmanship was to be praised, as well, but the spells were what was ultimately protecting the Fused Shadows.

Midna looked from the mirror shard to Leyla and back again, then burst out laughing, a chiming, impish sound.

"What?" Leyla asked indignantly.

"Oh, you guys never changed, did you?" Midna chortled. "Still arguing about the stupidest things!" Midna sighed and looked back at Leyla. "Well, I think things are all in order." She stood up. "Shall we?"

"You mean, you'll come?" Leyla asked, astonished.

"Of course I will!" Midna said, mock surprise written on her face.

Leyla smiled, and stood up. She grabbed the mirror shard, wrapped it, and placed it in the saddle bag, despite the boys' wild protests. "Let's go!" Leyla said.

Midna nodded, then called out in her native language. A tall, thin Twili entered the sitting room that the girls had been in and bowed deeply. Midna gave him orders in her language, and then dismissed him. "I need someone to make sure everything stays ok without me." She shrugged.

Leyla nodded in understanding and slung the saddle bag over her shoulder. Midna lead the way out of the palace, and down through the town. The Twili bowed before their princess, and called out to her. She answered them happily, and waved to those too distant to hear. Eventually, they made it to the portal which was surprisingly still open.

"Wouldn't it be past twilight outside by now?" Leyla asked.

"Yeah, but it's always twilight here," Midna answered.

"Oh, yeah," Leyla said, then her eyes widened. "But, then, that means, you could have visited anytime you wanted!" she exclaimed.

"True," Midna answered, "but my kingdom is still healing from what Zant did to them." She stared solemnly at Leyla.

"Oh, of course," Leyla said bashfully, guilt weighing upon her.

Midna entered the portal first, and was followed by Leyla. The sky in Hyrule was pitch black and cloudy with the moon's light being barely strong enough to break through. The sand was cool, and a slight breeze came and went. Midna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Din, it's been so long," she murmured. "How's everything been out here?" she asked as Leyla appeared by her side.

"Well," Leyla walked over to her friend, "better than last year. Things could be a lot worse, and according to Zelda, things could be a whole lot better."

Midna raised an eyebrow at her friend, then shrugged. "Ok, then," she said.

The two were about to leave when they both felt something ancient and powerful appear above them. They looked up, and saw that the sages had appeared. Pale white, and with hands and faces that were disconnected from the rest of their body, they spoke in turns without pause.

"Young Leyla,"

"Your abilities,"

"Particularly the ones that allow you to transform,"

"Are in need of enhancement."

Leyla stared up at the sages quizzically. "Enhancement?"

"Yes,"

"Your visions are true,"

"And you must heed what they mean."

"The Sacred Grove is only the beginning.  
"Beyond it is where you must go,"

"To an ancient land, created before Hyrule."

"Go there to learn."

"Learn who you are."

"What you must do."

"What you are."

"And how to save Hyrule."

Leyla looked about her. The sages were starting to disappear. "Wait! What are you talking about? Stop talking in riddles, please!" The sages continued to fade. "Wait!" she screamed, but they were gone.

"Well, did that help, or no?" Midna asked.

"Not really," Leyla answered. She growled, then kicked at the ground, sending a bunch of sand flying.

"Well," Midna said slowly, "shall we go?"

"Eh?" Leyla said, looking up. "Oh, yeah." She then transformed herself into a gryphon again. She was started to get comfortable with transforming. Just a little, anyways.

Leyla crouched down to make it easier for Midna to climb on. Midna hesitated, then awkwardly mounted Leyla's broad, lion-like back. Leyla stood up and unfolded her wings once she felt that her friend had secured herself. She hopped up onto the dais with the mirror frame, then flapped her wings once, launching herself into the night sky.

Midna let out a terrified yelp and grabbed as much golden feathers and fur as she could, burying her face into Leyla's thick gryphon neck. Leyla leveled out as she approached the clouds, and headed for Lake Hylia.

"So," she called out, "I'm guessing that we should go pick up your stuff first, huh?"

Midna let out a squeak when she raised her head, and said, "Yes," very quietly.

Leyla giggled, and flapped her wings again, giving herself a burst of speed.

"Haven't you flown on one of those Kargoroks before?" Leyla asked.

"Yes, but those things had saddles, or were skinnier and easier to hold on to!" Midna shouted over the rushing wind.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Leyla said. She dived down towards the lake, and smacked the water with her tail, sending sprays of it everywhere, before launching herself back up, even higher than before.

"Would you cut that out?" Midna screamed, practically hugging Leyla to stay on.

"Aw, you're no fun!" Leyla pretended to moan in exasperation. She sped up as they approached Faron Woods. Flying over it, Leyla noticed that the trees were dense and dead looking. There were no leaves anywhere. Midna peeked down below her and saw the dead-looking forest.

"Is it just me, or do the trees seem taller than last time I was here?" she asked. "And deader…" she added as she squinted for a better look.

"It's some sort of weird curse." Leyla answered. She flew down closer to the top of the trees. "They do seem taller, a lot taller," she murmured. She let herself be caught by a draft that made her float up higher, and guided herself towards Ordon Village which was, thankfully, still untouched.

Leyla landed in front of her house, and let Midna dismount. The Twilight Princess was shaky as she got off, but she seemed to regain her composure quickly on the ground. Leyla returned to her original form, and climbed the ladder leading up to the front door of her house. She waited until Midna had entered before closing the door. She then made her way to the basement, and hopped down the entrance, landing gracefully on her feet. Midna followed suit, crouching down when she landed, but graceful all the same. In front of the two was a large, wooden door. Leyla stretched up onto her toes and started feeling along the top of its frame. After a few minutes, Midna joined in the search, her taller legs and longer arms allowing her to find the key faster. She passed it to Leyla, who opened the door with it.

The two passed through the thick door, and came upon the chest that held the items of interest. The chest had several chains wrapped around it, each with its own lock. Leyla opened a drawer in the door and pulled out a key ring with seven keys. She then proceeded to match each key to its corresponding lock, a task that took her more than half an hour.

When the last chain had finally fallen from its place on the chest, Leyla sighed and muttered, "Unnecessary feature," under her breath. Midna reach forward to open the chest. When Leyla realized what her friend was doing, she called out, "Wait!" but it was too late; Midna touched the chest and cried out in pain. She tried to remove her hand, but she was stuck fast.

"A thief catching spell, eh?" she said, giving up on pulling free.

"Yeah, pretty much," Leyla answered. She muttered a few words, then tapped the top of the chest in four specific places which glowed with a green light. The glow faded, and Midna's hand was released. Leyla opened the chest, and Midna reached in, pulling out a large, wool sack. She set the sack on the ground and rummaged in side, quietly counting the Fused Shadows. When she finished her examination, she looked up at Leyla, an impish grin on her face.

"All's well," she said, satisfied.

"There's still one in there that's broken," Leyla said, pointing to the sack.

Midna nodded, "I can fix that later." She hefted the sack into the air, and snapped her fingers on her free hand. The sack disappeared into a thousand small, black squares of Twilight, hidden in the Princess's magical storage realm.

As the last square disappeared, Midna turned towards the door, saying, "Now then, let's get going to the Kidney of the Forest." She giggled.


	7. Chapter 6:It's A Secret to Everyone

Midna and Leyla flew over the now dark forest, the branches of trees reaching up as if to snare them from the sky. Leyla could have sworn that the trees were growing by the second. She continued to fly as low as she dared over the forest, searching for a clear area to land in. So far, she couldn't see anywhere that would be suitable.

"Try closer to the Sacred Grove," Midna recommended. She gripped Leyla's fur harder as the green eyed gryphon beat her wings and soared towards the Forest Temple. The area there was clearer than anywhere else, but not enough for a safe landing.

"I'm going to try landing on the bridge." Leyla said. She dove for the object of interest, a bridge wide enough for a wagon to cross that reached across the chasm that guarded the Sacred Grove. Leyla slowly descended upon it, trying hard to not touch any of the trees. Thankfully, the bridge wasn't too close to any ground, making it adequate for landing.

"I don't remember this thing being here." Midna said as she slipped off Leyla's back.

"Shad, the scholar from Telma's bar, had this built so that he could study the Sacred Grove more," Leyla answered, returning to her true form. She pointed ahead. "It rests on the roots that we would use to get across last year. He also had a bridge made in the next area, so that nobody gets killed if they fail to get through the traps." She added.

Midna nodded. "That's not as fun, though," she muttered. She looked at her friend, and giggled at her inquisitively raised eyebrow.

Leyla shook her head and led the way across the bridge. It was a short walk, and they came to the next bridge quickly.

Leyla stopped walking just as they were about to cross. Instinct told her someone unfriendly was watching them. Leyla whipped herself around, just as she was knocked over the cliff. She reached out and grabbed a root protruding from its side and held tight. Midna then flew over the edge, and Leyla reached out for her. Midna made a wild grab for her hand, and the two hung from the edge of the cliff.

"So nice to see you again. And your friend," a familiar voice sneered.

Leyla looked up, straining to keep her grip on the root and her friend's hand. The owner of the voice leaned over the side of the cliff, looking down at them as one would a puppy as it played with his friend. "How is it hanging?" Dark Link asked, his teeth showing so perfectly white in his smile.

Leyla growled, not daring to do more than that, lest she and Midna fall.

Dark Link shook his head. "Tsk, tsk, is that the way to treat a friend? Such a disgusting sound." He snapped, and Leyla felt something grab her around the ankles and hoist her up, bringing her upside-down face level with his. Thankfully, he did the same with Midna. Thankfully, her shirt was tucked in under her belt.

"Seeing as you're here," Dark Link said casually, "this must mean that you know the secret."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Leyla managed to snarl. She felt her blood rushing to her head, but she tried to not show it. She gasped as she was dropped a few inches in the air.

"Don't play dumb with me. Why else would you be here?" Dark Link barely managed not to shout.

"You're the one who's dumb, here!" Midna called out, and yelped as she dropped a foot in the air.

"You may think this is funny," Dark Link crouched down at the edge so he could see his captives' faces, his face drawn into an ugly snarl, "but I am really tight on time, and would really appreciate it if you just told me what you know."

Leyla glared up at him, her green eyes fiery with defiance and anger. "All right," she said, "but you have to put us back up there." Leyla managed not to gasp as she was lifted into the air, flipped over, and brought onto the ground, her feet lightly resting on it as she was held up by her wrists now, as though she was chained to a brick wall by iron chains.

Dark Link walked closer to her. He cupped her chin in his hand and whispered, "Tell me. Now."

Leyla looked to her side to see that Midna had been brought up, as well. Good. She leaned as close as she could get to Dark Link, which wasn't very close, due to how tightly his power held her, and said quietly, "You are a suckling pig." Her head flung to the side, and her cheek stung from his slap.

"Unfortunately," the Shade said, drawing his hand back, "I don't have time for this." He then grabbed Leyla by the hair at the base of her neck, releasing her from the magical bonds. Leyla smirked at his mistake. Leyla immediately transformed, and the Shade was suddenly found holding himself within reach of an angry wolf's sharp teeth. He dropped Leyla, and she grabbed his leg, causing him to shriek and fall over. Midna was released when Dark Link's focus was brought somewhere else, and she gathered a dark energy in her hands and tossed it at Dark Link, sending him over the cliff..

Leyla returned to her normal form and sighed. She fell to a kneeling position, her arms holding her up, and emptied the contents of her stomach on the ground. Midna knelt beside her and patted her back.

Leyla wiped her mouth with a shaky, gloved hand. "Had to hold that in for a while." She grimaced. Had she had to wait any longer, she might have spewed her breakfast all over the place.

Midna shrugged, and then helped her friend up. "Need some water?" she asked.

"I could use some," Leyla nodded. She reached for her belt pouch, but before she could undo the strap, Midna had produced a bottle of water from thin air. Or, perhaps from whatever dimension she stored objects in. Leyla gratefully took the bottle, using the first couple sips of water to rinse her mouth of what she could of the foul taste of bile, then gulped down the rest of the bottles contents.

Midna looked down the cliff, and whistled. "Think he'll survive?" she asked.

Leyla shrugged, handing her friend the empty bottle. "I don't know. He isn't human, so there's a chance he might."

Midna grunted, and then lead the way across the modified bridges, on towards the Sacred Grove. Leyla followed slowly, she was still a little shaky, but she refused to rest for any longer than she had to. She had to find out who she was, she had to find out how to get Link and Jav out of the Mirror, and she had to find out what was going to happen to Hyrule. Leyla sighed. Why couldn't she have one task at a time?

Leyla almost bumped into Midna's back. The Twilight Princess was standing stock still, in the middle of the path, no less!

"What?" Leyla asked. Midna shushed her, rather loudly herself, then continued listening. It didn't take long for Leyla to catch the familiar notes that were ringing in the forest. The Skull Kid was close, playing that lively, yet haunting tune on his odd trumpet. Suddenly, from somewhere right above them, a loud, long blast from the trumpet sounded, and a circle of five puppet-like creatures fell from the sky, their limbs clinking together like wind-chimes, a showering of leaves accompanying their descent. Leyla unsheathed both her swords and lashed out at two of them, and Midna used some form of Magic to disintegrate the others. The puppets fell with clatters and burst into ash. Leyla looked around, and her sharp eyes detected the Skull Kid peeking out from behind a nearby tree.

Transforming as she went, she leapt at him. He bounced away, but ran into Midna, and attempted to run back. But, seeing a grey wolf behind him, he turned back to Midna, seeming to not notice the gaps of freedom on either side of him. Leyla pounced onto him, and he whimpered. She dug her claws into his wooden flesh, and for once, his seemingly painted on smile had turned into a frown.

"Where's the Heart of the Sacred Grove?" Leyla growled, her teeth glinting in what little sun could break through the tree leaves.

The Skull Kid whimpered even louder, so Leyla did the same, only with growling. The Skull Kid looked at her, his glowing orange eyes perfect circles of shock. "I-In the Temple of Time Grove! In there!"

Leyla relaxed her paws slightly, just enough so that he could wiggle, but not wiggle out. Midna snatched his horn from him and began to fiddle with it. The Skull Kid stared at her, then shakily said, "I-I can take you there." Leyla smiled, and let him go. The Skull Kid Stood up, sniffing with his almost non-existent nose. He looked up at Midna, who was still holding his horn beyond his reach, then, with his head hanging, led the way to the Temple of Time.

When they had reached the area of interest, the Skull Kid looked up at Leyla, who had transformed back. Leyla looked at Midna and nodded, and the Twilight Princess handed the horn over. The Skull Kid's face lit up in such eerie delight as he grabbed his horn. He danced up into the air, disappearing into the leaves. His horn sounded far off, the tune livelier than ever.

"Well," Midna said, clapping her hands together and rubbing her palms vigorously, "let's start looking for clues." She walked over to a heavily patterned, worn out stone wall with thick coverings of moss and crossed her arms. "First to find something useful wins."

"Wins what?" Leyla asked, tracing the designs cut into a wolf statue, one of a pair that Zelda had had made and placed there.

Midna quickly turned around, her clothes whirling about her body majestically. Her face wore the expression of a ruler about to decree to her people something of utmost importance. "Gloating rights," she said in a grave voice.

Leyla raised an eyebrow and started to grin. This was one of many reasons why she and Midna were such great friends. Senses of humor.

Midna turned back around and continued scanning the wall. Leyla took up the wall opposite her, looking for anything that might give them an inkling of what this secret was supposed to be. After long hours of scanning the well-worn, moss covered walls, Midna sat down. "Well," she began rubbing her feet, "even if we had gone inside, like we should have in the beginning," she started rubbing the other foot, "I don't think we would have found anything."

Leyla sighed and sat down next to her friend. "I suppose we could go ask Zelda for the secret?"

Midna stopped rubbing her foot and leaned back, using her arms to keep her up. "I suppose," she yawned lazily.

Leyla lay on her back. The grass was soft, and the sun was softened as it came through the leaves. She suddenly felt very tired. Perhaps, she could just sleep for a minute. Leyla started to close her eyes, then sat up spluttering, her face suddenly soaking wet.

"Wake up," Midna said the tiniest of smiles on her face. She was already on her feet, a freshly emptied bottle in her hand. Leyla blinked, and realized it had gotten dark. Had she really fallen asleep? Midna helped her up, saying, "You know, you're bit of a heavy sleeper sometimes."

"Well, excuse me, princess.," Leyla muttered. Midna sniffed at her, then shook her head.

"We should get going," she said, her red eyes looking as if they were glowing faintly in the dark.

"Right, right, right," Leyla said. She transformed into a Gryphon, and Midna climbed on, holding onto her fur and feathers as tightly as she could. Leyla flapped her wings once, and broke through the thinnest part of the canopy, sending a cascade of sticks and leaves falling down below. "I hope she'll be awake at this hour," Leyla muttered to herself before launching herself into the direction of Hyrule Castle.

Instead of landing at the entrance of town, Leyla flew straight to the Castle up to the Throne Room. Luckily for them, Zelda was already inside, pacing in front of the golden, red seated throne.

The Hylian Princess looked up as Leyla and Midna approached the window, and had it opened so they could enter. She and Midna hugged, commenting on how it had been a while since they had seen each other. Then, Leyla transformed back and asked for knowledge of the secret.

Zelda drew herself up upon hearing Leyla's request. An apologetic look graced her beautiful face. Midna and Leyla both felt like slamming their palms onto their faces at what she said.

"I don't know it," the Princess whispered solemnly.


	8. Chapter 7:Revelation

"You… don't?" Leyla stammered.

Zelda looked at her apologetically. "I wish I could help you, but I can't. Dark Link came here for the secret, which I couldn't give to him." Zelda lowered her voice, as if speaking aloud to herself, "It seemed as though he believes I know it."

Midna walked over to Zelda, visibly trying to not roll her eyes. "Who does know, then? Who?" She grabbed the Princess's shoulders and shook her slightly, making the guards near the door grip their weapons and take a few menacing steps closer.

Zelda took Midna's hands from her shoulders and gently pushed them away, then raised a hand for the guards to stand down. "I'm not sure. I think Tam might, though. He lives in the forest, after all."

"The forest?" Leyla asked. When she had first met Tam a year ago, the tall, dirt-covered boy had told them he had been living in Lake Hylia. Perhaps he moved?

Zelda nodded. "Yes, he has… visited… recently." Zelda seemed to cringe at some unpleasant memory, but she shook herself and continued as though nothing had happened. "He said he is living in Faron Woods, as it is a lovely place close to members of his family."

"Oh," Leyla didn't want to think of why Zelda, who was usually so calm and composed about everything, would twitch at a memory of Tam. Then again Tam did have Mink, and Mink could be rather hyper. Leyla shuddered at the thought of Tam, mud-crusted Tam, chasing after the even dirtier Mink through the castle halls, and understood why Zelda would as well. "So," Leyla said, ridding herself of the horrific thoughts, "we need to find Tam."

"But," Midna interjected, "the forest is all overgrown and freaky! How will we find him in _that_?" She placed her fists on her hips, looking from Leyla to Zelda and back again, a single, thin eyebrow raised.

"Well," Leyla shrugged, "we'll think of something, I'm sure."

The double doors at the end of the throne room crashed open, and two guards, one tall and lean, the other short and stout, entered the room at a jog.

"What is it?" Zelda asked, queenly regal-ness filling her voice.

"Townspeople… they… they…" the stout guard puffed. He leaned over, panting.

"They're trying to come in, saying little Blondie here," he jerked a thumb at Leyla, "is a little witch or something."

Zelda raised an eyebrow at the tall guard; she obviously did not approve of the guard speaking so rudely about her friend. But it was Leyla's death glare that made the guard gulp and feel more than sorry for what he said.

"Who started this rumor?" Midna asked. The guard stared at Midna, and began wondering if _she_ was a witch.

"Who?" Leyla demanded, the same darkness she was showing on her face dripping from her voice.

The stout guard spoke up, straitening himself, "Some weird guy seems to be at the root of it. Red eyes was the most common description we got."

"Dark Link," the three girls muttered at the same time. Zelda looked up to Leyla and asked, "Will you need help getting away?"

Leyla smiled a mischievous grin to rival Midna's. "Hardly." She transformed into a gryphon, the form she seemed to be using the most of late, and let Midna climb on. "You may want to open a window," she said, her voice made slightly gruff by the Gryphon's body. The two guards opened one of the biggest windows in the room, and stood back. Leyla launched herself from the ground, landed on the sill, then dived down the side of the tower. Before she hit the stones of a bridged that connected this tower to another one, she snapped open her wings, and was carried up into the clear blue sky.

"You okay back there?" she called back. Midna let out a tiny squeak of terror before reburying her face in Leyla's thick fur. Leyla let out an eagle's caw of laughter. She flew away from the castle, and glided to a landing in the middle of Eldin Province. Midna dismounted, and Leyla returned to her normal form and sat down. "Today has been tiring," she said, stretching her arms.

Midna sat down next to her, panting. "Don't you ever do that again!" she growled.

Leyla helped her hands defensively. "No promises!" she said. Midna rolled her eyes. Leyla suddenly sat up, looking off to the side. She could hear someone approaching, fast.

"What is that?" Midna asked, not bothering to even look up.

The skinny man running towards them waved and called out, "Ms. Leyla, WAIT!" He ran right up to her, and announced, "I have a letter for you!" He whipped the letter out of his pouch, humming a little fanfare as he handed it to her. Then, without waiting for her thanks, he turned and ran off, saying, "My work here is done! ONWARD TO MAIL!"

Leyla could feel her eyebrows attempting to crawl under her hair. The Postman never failed to make himself seem odd, and he seemed to get weirder with each letter he delivered.

"Well," Midna said, clearing her throat and shaking herself, "that was certainly… something."

"Indeed," Leyla said, turning to her friend. She sat down and opened the letter, and read it:

Leyla,

You must hurry to the bar! I have made quite an amazing discovery, and I am sure you will be interested! You must get here quickly!

-Telma

Leyla folded the letter and stood up. "It was from Telma, she wants me to get to her bar," she informed Midna.

"Don't we have to find Tam?" Midna asked.

"Yeah, but, we can put that off for a bit," Leyla said hesitantly.

Midna let out an exaggerated sigh and stood up muttering something in her native language. She gave Leyla a look that accused her of making her move.

"We'll go by horse this time," Leyla said. She had found that transforming too much in a day made her rather dizzy, and she wasn't about to press herself too much.

"What about the townspeople? They think you're a witch," Midna asked as she very slowly, very deliberately brushed herself off.

"Well," Leyla said, thinking. She looked down at herself; her current outfit was a dead giveaway to who she was. "Perhaps I could use a change of clothes?"

"Yeah, and you're going to have to go through the overgrown forest, aren't you?" Midna said unenthusiastically.

"I can see if someone in Kakariko has something for me," Leyla suggested. Leyla turned at the sound of hooves behind her. Storm was approaching at a trot, his mane a mess of tangles and his saddle slightly askew. Leyla's eyes widened, and she hurried to her beloved horse, making corrections to his equipment and checking to make sure that was the worst of the damage, which, thankfully, it was. "Sorry, buddy! I forgot I left you out here!" Leyla whispered to the horse, stroking his strong neck. Storm snorted and gently nuzzled her arm as if to say, "I forgive you."

"So, Kakariko?" Midna said. "I can hide in your shadow, still," she added.

"All righty, then." Leyla answered, swinging up into the saddle. Midna nodded, and dissolved into Leyla's shadow, and Leyla turned Storm in the direction of the village, and spurred him forward, the stallion leaping into a gallop from the start.

It wasn't long before they reached the rundown-yet-upbeat village of Kakariko. The village was devoid of vegetation save a few scraggly bushes here and there. The Eldin Spring flowed from its waterfall into an ankle-deep to knee-deep basin, where several horse shoe reeds grew. Most of the houses were abandoned and falling apart from neglect and previous monster attacks, yet at least four buildings stood strong: Renado the Shaman's house, Barnes the bomb-maker's house, the general store, which had been turned into a Malo Mart, and the Inn.

On the other end of town, there was a tall tower up on a cliff, accessible only by going through Barnes bomb shop. The tower was high up enough that one could see everything in village. Just past this tower was the path that led up to Death Mountain, home of the proud Gorons, a race born from rock.

Leyla stopped Storm at Renado's house. She dismounted and knocked on his door. His daughter, Luda, opened it, her large brown eyes shining with a wise light despite her young age. She smiled up at Leyla and let her in. Leyla gave her a kind smile and accepted the admittance. Renado looked over at Leyla, then turned back to his Goron visitors; obviously, something important was going on.

"The Gorons and my father are trying to find out how best to fix up the old houses, so that we can gain new residents," Luda whispered quietly. "I think some of the Gorons want to try living here, too." She shifted her booted feet. "I wish he'd hurry," she added, "he told me he was going to take me to Castle Town today." She smiled up at Leyla, "I've been saving up for new boots, and some new pants."

"Sounds fun!" Leyla answered. Then, a thought occurred to her, "Hey, Luda, do you think there is anything your dad might have for me? I need to get to Telma's bar, but I need a change of clothes first."

"Why?" Luda asked, her puzzlement showing clearly on her face.

"Well, people in town don't exactly like me anymore," Leyla said. "They think I'm a witch."

Luda's eyes grew wide. "Oh, I think I might have something for you. Hold on!" Luda ran out of the house, and reappeared after a few minutes, holding something under her arm. She held up a shawl with a blue, red, and brown diamond pattern, a pair of soft leather pants, and a plain white cotton shirt. "These might work!" She passed them to Leyla, adding, "Here, you go change at the inn, and I'll explain everything to my father!"

"Right. Thank you!" Leyla said before leaving the building.

AAAA

Later in the day, a man drove his cart into the Castle Town. He had deeply tanned skin, a strong nose, and wore a white robe with a leather apron consisting of several shapes and designs. He parked his wagon near the stairs leading down to Telma's bar. From his wagon, two girls emerged. One had short black hair, and wise dark eyes, her outfit consisting of a blue vest with leather fringes, a green skirt and above the knee boots. The other girl wore a white cotton shirt with a shawl that had diamond patterns on it, leather pants, and leather boots. Of the three, she was the only one with golden hair, and bright emerald eyes. No one took notice of the trio. They were familiar to them.

The man and the dark-haired girl talked to the bright haired girl, then walked away. The bright-haired girl went down into Telma's Bar.

The girl sat down at the bar, and asked for Telma. The red haired woman looked over at the girl, arched an eyebrow, and asked, "Aren't you a little young, missy?"

"Telma! It's me!" Leyla hissed.

Telma's eyes widened, and then she said, "Ooh, deary! Have I got a surprise for you!" She giggled like school girl does when thinking of a favored boy. "You see," she said, whipping out a bloody handkerchief from a hole in the wall, "your blood here, it had no shine when we looked at it last, remember?"

Leyla nodded. It meant that she wasn't a Wood-Elf. Or, at least, that she didn't have enough Wood-Elf in her for it to show, not that that notion made much sense.

"Well, I was about to clean it out, when the light caught it, and, look!" Telma held the kerchief under the candle. The dried blood glittered gold in the light.

"Telma," Leyla said shakily, "that could be anything, like… dust… or something…." Leyla herself wasn't very convinced of that, though.

"Well, how about we try again?" Telma suggested, producing another clean knife to her.

Leyla stared warily at the knife, before slowly taking it. She pricked her finger again, and this time, neither she nor Telma leaned over to look closer. Instead, Telma held the candle closer to the blood that had bubbled up.

In the red of the blood, gold glittered as the light shone over it.

Leyla felt her breath quickening. How was this possible? She was a Wood-Elf? Of course, it made sense, where else could she have gotten her powers. Was she a half elf? Or were her powers too strong for that?

So many emotions and thoughts were cramming their ways into Leyla's head, that she barely heard Telma asking her to sit down, and she hardly felt it when her knees gave way….


	9. Chapter 8:One Thing After Another

Chapter 8: One Thing After Another

Leyla sat up in bed. Her head felt like a hammer had struck it repetitively, and the room swam before her eyes. She squeezed them shut, then opened them slowly again, and things started to settle and make sense.

The room she was in had a large, red dresser with several pictures on it, most of them pictures of a fluffy cat. There was small fireplace against the wall to her right, and a window to her left. Leyla looked down and examined the large bed; the quilt was gingham pattern of pink, white, and red. Leyla looked to her immediate right, and saw that red-haired Telma was sitting on a stool next her.

Leyla raised a hand to her head, and heard Telma say something like, "And don't think of coming here for a drink again!" Leyla raised an eyebrow at her, only to notice that the short, long-nosed doctor with huge, round spectacles was leaving the room.

Telma turned to Leyla with a kind, yet somehow frustrated, smile. "Sorry about that, dear. You fainted, and my immediate reaction was to send for the doctor." Her eyes darkened. "Of course, he only helps 'humans'. When he was going to check your pulse, you still had a cut on your finger. He saw the gold in your blood and gave up on you right away." She gave a loud sniff. "First, he refuses to work with that poor Zora Boy, now you, I oughta…." She bit her lip. She readjusted her seat and looked at Leyla. "Oh, Renado and his daughter are downstairs, waiting for you."

"Oh, thanks." Leyla said, standing up. Her head protested at the sudden movement, but she ignored it. She had one last favor to ask of Renado….

AAAA

As Tam's eyes flew open, the memory of the "more than a normal dream" dream fresh in his mind, he noticed Mink, his white-yet-dirtied-brown mink friend, had once again sneaked into his cot. A mischievous smile crept over his face as he unsuccessfully attempted to smooth down his unruly, brown hair with his hand. Silently, he slipped out of bed, stalked around it, quickly grabbed Mink's slender body, and threw him against the wall of his small forest hut.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stay out of my bed?" Tam demanded.

"Hey, I got tired of my rag in the corner," Mink growled in Minkish, picking himself up. "Besides, why do you need such a big bed all to yourself?"

"Will you two stop fighting every single morning?" a voice questioned in Arctic-Foxic. "It gets very tiring to listen to you squabble all the time."

"Morning Arctic Fox," Tam yawned.

"Hey, Si-SQUEAK!" Mink shouted as Arctic Fox pounced on his head, stifling his cries.

"For the last time," from her tone Tam could tell Arctic Fox was struggling to keep anger from her voice, "just because Tam is both my brother and yours, that doesn't mean we are RELATED!"

"I had a dream last night," Tam cut in before any further tirade could come, "except it wasn't a dream."

"What do you mean by that?" a breathless Mink inquired.

"Well, first I was in a hallway-"

"What's a hallway?" Arctic Fox asked, relinquishing her grasp on Mink just enough for him to slip away.

"It's sort of…a corridor-"

"What's a corridor?" asked Mink, imitating Arctic Fox.

"Okay, picture a tunnel in a cave."

"We pictured it," they cried in unison.

"That's a hallway."

"But what's a corridor?" asked Mink.

"It's a hallway!" Tam shouted.

"Okay, okay, you don't need to get emotional about it," Mink muttered.

"I'm not getting emotional!" Tam yelled.

"Let's just get on with it," interrupted Arctic Fox, "before we start resorting to violence." Although by the tone of her voice, it seemed as though she was considering it.

"Anyway, I was in this hallway with a door and-"

"What's a door?" cut in Mink.

"Just continue, Tam," Arctic Fox said her voice taking on a slightly dangerous tone, "I'll keep Mink in line."

"Well," Tam continued, his eye on Mink, "I was walking down the corridor-"

Mink opened his mouth, but Arctic Fox's white paw slammed it shut.

"And I heard someone calling my name."

"How?" Mink asked before Arctic Fox could stop him.

"Kinda, ghost-ish," Tam said.

"Ghost fish?" Arctic Fox asked, "Never heard of that before!"

"No, ghost-_ish_!" Tam said, pronouncing every syllable clearly.

"Oh," The two animals said together.

"Like this?" and Mink tried a wavering ghost voice, "Tam…Come…To…Me…"

"No, stupid!" Arctic Fox yelled, "It was obviously like this!" And she tried a smooth, creeping ghost voice, "Tam, come here, Tam."

"No way!"

"Yes, way!"

"_Shut up_!" Tam yelled over the din Mink and Arctic Fox were making. "Anyway _again_," continued Tam, with a significant look at Mink, his voice picking up speed as he went on, "there was Leyla, trying to open the door, when along comes this lady who was really pretty and had flying hair and told Leyla to go to the Heart of the Sacred Grove alone. Then Leyla disappeared and the lady turned to me and said I was invisible by her magicand I had to follow Leyla but remain hidden for a while. And then I asked her if this was a normal dream and she said no. Then I asked her if she was sure, because sometimes a dream seems real when it's not, and she said yes, she was sure. Then I asked her if she was positive, and she said yes, she was positive. Then I told her that I was sorry that I was only wearing my underwear in the dream. Then she told me to wake up, so I did."

"So, life pretty much returns to normal, huh?" Mink squeaked.

"No, now we have to follow Leyla," Tam replied, "Oh, yeah, and guys, the lady said that I would save her life."

There was a short pause, then Mink and Arctic Fox both burst into laughter; the rolling on the floor kind.

"What, you guys don't think I can save a person's life?" Tam exclaimed indignantly. "How many times have I saved your life, Mink?"

"How many times has it needed saving?" Mink retorted, attempting to catch his breath.

"Well…that's not the point," Tam said, rubbing the back of his neck.

They heard a rustling of feathers outside.

Tam opened the door and looked out. Mother Hummingbird, a giant hummingbird the size of two Spear's, drowsily yawned and said, "Why must everyone bicker in the morning?" her voice silky, with every bit of annoyance a mother has when her children fight. "It's such beautiful morning, and yet, you can turn _any_ morning into a bad one." She ruffled her feathers and sighed. She was what was called a Great Animal, an animal that was an enlarged version of their species, and who was immortal. They were often called to be protectors of the animal kingdom, and only one of each animal could exist as a Great Animal. Mother Hummingbird had been around since more than 400 years ago, and it often showed in her forgetfulness.

There was then a loud screech above them, and everyone looked up to see a hawk, by the name of Hawky, circling down out of the sky.

Tam held out his arm, somewhat awkwardly, and Hawky landed on it.

"What's up?" Arctic Fox asked, her furry white tail wagging happily with excitement.

Hawky drew a deep breath and said, "Leyla's coming here!"

Everyone stared at him incredulously.

"How do you know that?" Tam asked suspiciously.

"I was flying by them when I heard Leyla say, 'Let's go find Tam,' right after she hopped out of a wagon." Hawky shrugged his wings.

"Who's 'them'?" Tam asked, even more demanding.

"Leyla and, I think, um, Midna! That's her name!" Hawky said.

Arctic Foxes smooth, white face had a quizzical expression on it.

"Who's Leyla? Who's Midna?" she asked.

Mink jumped onto her head and said, "Leyla is this girl form Ordon, and Midna is some sort of…Twili, is what they called her."

Arctic Fox shook Mink off her head and asked Tam directly this time, "What's a Twili, Tam?"

"I dunno. But if she's coming with Leyla, you'll know what they look like." Tam said.

Mother Hummingbird spoke up, "If she's coming, you better go find her. The forest is so dense and dark now, she'll need help." Then Mother Hummingbird turned around and tried to go back to sleep.

"Right," Tam said. He looked at Mink and Arctic Fox, sighed, and said exasperatedly, "Mink, Arctic Fox, would you like to come?"

Arctic Fox was first to answer; "Yes! Yes! YES!"

Mink nodded excitedly, and Tam grabbed Mink, placed the browned white mink on his shoulder, and he walked into the forest, Arctic Fox at his heels.

AAAA

Leyla waved to the retreating wagon, and then turned to the forest. Midna, who had hopped out of Leyla's shadow as soon as the blonde-haired girl's feet had touched the ground, let out an impressed whistle.

"Looks a lot more overgrown than before, huh?" the Twilight Princess commented.

Leyla gave a simple nod. "We should look for a way in." She transformed into her small, grey wolf form, a slight tingling in her chest as she realized that she was using the powers of a Wood-Elf. She quelled this feeling, however, as she thought of the many tasks ahead of her. She could let herself faint from shock at the news later.

Midna lightly rapped Leyla's furry wolf's head with her knuckles and pointed to a part of the overgrown forest. A figure was coming towards them. Leyla at first would have guessed that it was Spear; how else could it move so fast through the thick underbrush and the low hanging branches of the trees? But the figure was too skinny, and not quite tall enough. That, and no trees were being knocked over in its wake.

Leyla raised her head. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing towards the forest instead of from, so she couldn't catch any scent of what was racing towards them. The figure burst through the trees and bushes, covered in leaves and dirt from head to toe.

Leyla returned to her normal form. "Tam!" she called out, running over to greet him. She stopped just short of him, though. He hadn't taken a bath in weeks.

Mink was slung over his shoulder, and looked like he was ready to hurl, making Leyla take an unconscious step away from Tam. Midna walked over to Tam inclined her head in greeting, looking as though she had considered offering her hand for a handshake. Tam looked Midna up and down and asked, "Weren't you… shorter… last time?"

Midna raised an eyebrow at him, but her smile stayed, unwavering. Both the girls' attention was taken from Tam when they heard a sharp yapping behind him, and shortly after, a small, white fox appeared, a patch of black fur on her head. Leyla's face lighted at the sight of such an adorable creature, and Midna practically squealed with delight. The fox, seeing the two girls, first hid behind Tam's legs, then ran out to greet them, allowing them to stroke her snowy soft fur. "Who's this?" Leyla asked, her face beaming.

"That's Arctic Fox," Tam answered. Mink squawked, and looked down at Arctic Fox as though jealous of the attention she was getting.

"She's so cute!" Midna exclaimed, taking Arctic Fox's cheeks in her hands and gently rubbing them. Arctic Fox yapped happily, then turned to Tam and gave him a questioning bark.

"Yeah," Tam answered, "that one's Midna." The tall, dirt covered boy turned his attention to Leyla, "So, what's up? Do you need help?"

Leyla straightened up, and her face became solemn, "Well, it's bit of a long story, but I'll try my best to make it quick." She then delved into what had happened; starting from her dreams and ending with Zelda saying she needed Tam's help.

Tam scratched at his surprisingly smooth chin as he processed all that Leyla had just said. He then inquired about the saddle bag.

Leyla jumped, as though she had forgotten about it. "Oh, it's with Storm!" she cried out. She produced the Horse Call from her bag, the one she had made specifically for Storm, and played its sweet, strong melody. It wasn't long before Storm came galloping towards her, his voice causing the air to ring.

He stopped just short of running her over and nuzzled her cheek. Leyla stroked his nose, and then traced her hand down his neck and to the saddle bags. She removed the one with the mirror shard and handed it to Tam, then began checking Storm hooves for rocks.

Tam opened the bag, took at the cloth wrapped mirror, and unwrapped it. He yelped in surprise when he saw Jav's face looking out. Jav stared up at Tam, and was pushed away by Link. "Tam!" the young hero exclaimed. Link looked as though he was trying to peer around Tam. "Where's Leyla?" he asked, almost demanded.

"I'm right here," Leyla said, and Tam turned the mirror so that Leyla would be visible.

"Oh," Link sighed with relief, and Leyla rolled her eyes. Link looked from Tam to Leyla and asked, "Where's Midna?" Leyla looked over Storm's back and pointed, "Down there." Tam lifted the mirror over the stallions tall back and tilted it downwards so that Midna, who was still happily playing with Arctic Fox, would be in view.

"Oh. Ok. Hi, Midna," Link said. Midna didn't even look up.

Leyla took the mirror from Tam and said, "I'm going to put the shard away, now." Link sighed, but didn't protest as Leyla wrapped the shard in the cloth, then placed it back in the saddle bag, which she slung around her own shoulders. "Tam," she said, turning towards him, "we need to find someone who knows about a secret having to do with the Sacred Grove."

"Well," Tam said, scratching his head, "I don't know much about the Sacred Grove, but I know someone who knows a lot about it because he spent years around that area."

"Who?" Leyla asked, excited.

"Uncle Budz!" Tam answered. "He's not really my uncle, but I call him that because he's like an uncle." Tam waved her over to the forest. "Come one, you'll love him! He tells the best stories! Arctic Fox, let's go!"

The small fox yapped in what Leyla's mind translated to be agreement, and Midna got up and walked with Leyla.

"So, what did we learn?" the Princess asked.

"Well, we learned that this Budz guy is not Tam's uncle," Leyla answered with smile. When the girls caught up with Tam, he was waiting for them by a small bush.

"Just follow me and the trip should be pretty smooth, ok?" he said before diving in. Midna followed, but Leyla turned to Storm first. The gray stallion let out a whicker to tell her to not worry about him, and nudged her in the back, telling her to go. Leyla kissed his head and turned to follow Tam in the forest.

Following in the tall boy's tracks did, indeed make traveling much easier. He seemed to know every twist and turn, every branch and bush, even every animal that was in their path to their destination. It wasn't long before they came to a clearing with trees that had golden brown bark and light green leaves. Leyla could feel a powerful magic all over the place. In the middle of the clearing was a small wooden hut with dark green, flowering moss growing over it. Tam ran right up to the door and knocked. The door swung open silently to reveal a man, almost as tall as Tam, and old enough to be his father.

"Uncle Budz!" Tam exclaimed, hugging the man as a child would his father.

Budz patted Tam's back once, then pushed him away, saying, "All right, all right, nice to see you too." He then looked at the girls. He studied Midna carefully, but his eyes lingered on Leyla, his eyebrows raising as though he had seen her before but could not remember when or where. He gestured to them and asked, "Who are your friends?"

Tam puffed out his chest and cleared his throat, "This is Princess Midna of the Twilight Realm, and this is Leyla, Hero of Hyrule," he announced proudly.

Leyla stepped up to the man and offered her hand. He took it and gave it a firm shake, and gave one to Midna as well. Midna shook her hand when it was released, over-exaggerating her pain.

"They need your help for something," Tam said, allowing himself into the house. Budz rolled his eyes and sighed, then stood back for the girls to enter.

"What do you need help with?" Budz asked, addressing Leyla.

"Um, we need to know about a secret having to do with the Heart of the Sacred Grove," Leyla answered quietly.

The man sat down at a table and gestured for the others to sit. "The Heart of the Sacred Grove, eh?" he said. Leyla felt her heartbeat quicken. What if he didn't know it? "Course I know it." He leaned back in his chair. Leyla let out the breath that she just realized she had been holding. "However," Budz added, taking a pipe from a shelf just behind his chair without looking, "only a Wood-Elf can truly unlock it." He lit his pipe and began smoking.

Leyla's felt butterflies crowding her chest. Only a Wood-Elf could open it. She was a Wood-Elf. "I… I can… do it…." Leyla didn't know what she was saying, but she said it.

"You can do what, child?" Budz asked curiously. He had started serving up what looked to be apple pie.

"I… I am… a… Wood-Elf…." Leyla whispered hesitantly.

Budz froze in place, holding a pie in Tam's face. He looked at Leyla, an unreadable expression on his face.

"You are?" he asked slowly. Leyla nodded. Budz moved in a flash. He was holding a knife to Leyla's throat before she could blink. "False," he snarled, "they all died years ago. How do I know that you aren't working for Dark Link?" He looked over at Midna, who had produced a spear of white light with her magic. "Put that away unless you want your friend dead," he said. Midna reluctantly complied.

"Ze-Zelda told me to come!" Leyla called out. It was the only thing she could think of saying.

Budz's eyes widened. "Zelda? Is she safe?" he growled.

"Wha-? Yes! Yes! She's fine!" Leyla gasped. She could feel the knife point threatening to bite into her skin.

"Budz!" Tam managed to shake of his shocked sense and reached for Budz's knife hand. "What's going on? Leyla's a good guy! Er, girl, I mean." Budz glared at Tam, then slowly took the knife away from Leyla's throat.

"Who are you, really?" Leyla asked, rubbing her throat.

Budz looked down at her, and said with little effort to be regal, "I am King Rithor of Hyrule. I have exiled myself for thirteen years now, as I have failed in my duties as king, and as a father." Tears began to well up in his eyes, and Leyla's eyes widened. This man, who lives in the middle of a forest, was the king of Hyrule? This man was Zelda's Father?


	10. Chapter 9:Rithor, King of Hyrule

Leyla gaped in disbelief. She closed her mouth quickly, though. So many thoughts came crashing to her head, but only one was spoken aloud by her, "How dare you," she muttered accusingly.

Budz, or rather, Rithor raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" he said, just as accusingly as she.

"How dare you leave your daughter alone to defend the kingdom? How dare you leave her, believing that you, her father, was dead? How dare you let your kingdom think that?" Leyla's voice was rising, but she didn't care. She didn't care that she was yelling at the king. She had a point that needed attention. "You 'exile' yourself for thirteen years? You leave your loyal wife and daughter for thirteen years?"

The king raised a hand, and Leyla closed her mouth again, but fire still raged in her green eyes. "Yes," he said, "I admit to my crimes. And I admit that my reasons are foolish." He sighed and sat down. "You see, it began with my hearing that something had wiped out the Wood-Elves, something extremely dangerous." He gestured for Leyla to sit down, but she refused. Rithor gave a slight shrug of his shoulders, but no more. "As king, it was my duty to investigate what had happened to our allies, and see what I could do to help them. I thought that, if nothing else, I should at least find the princess of the Wood-Elion Kingdom, as I had been made her legal guardian should anything happen to her parents." Rithor licked his lips, then continued. "I… went alone. I didn't want to endanger anybody, as I knew that most of my soldiers had families, and I wasn't going to let them throw their lives away for an expedition." He gave a grim chuckle, "Obviously, I was far too caring…" he said under his breath, then continued. "I made my way to the Wood-Elf lands, and when I got there…. There was…. Nothing." He looked up at the quizzical looks on Midna and Tam's faces, "Oh, there were towns and houses, but they were mostly in ruins. I mean that there was no life, aside from a few animals, mostly squirrels and birds. And of course, the little princess was no where to be found."

Leyla spoke up before he could continue, "But why didn't you return?"

Rithor looked at her, his expression unreadable, and he said, "I did. I returned, my clothes looking like that of a commoner from my exploits. I joined the masses of people, thinking that I would surprise my family with my return. The people were entering the castle, so I snuck in easily. But why were the townsfolk all entering the palace?" Rithor shook his head dolefully. "To give their respects to the royal family, who had lost their husband, their father…." He blinked back tears. "The look on her face… so disappointed… in me…." He shook his head again. "And her, she was so small. She didn't understand…. She thought I was dead…." He looked up at the three, refusing to let tears fall from his eyes. "I exiled myself because my shame and guilt weighed so heavily upon me, that I couldn't bring myself to face them. I realize now, and have realized for so long, that what I did was foolish, idiotic mistake." He lowered his gaze to the half empty pie dish in front of him. "But it's too late to change anything. My wife... died… and my daughter... Is in charge of my kingdom…." Rithor looked up. His gaze passed over Tam and Midna, landing on Leyla. He stared intently into her eyes, as though pleading forgiveness.

Leyla moved like a flash. Midna stood up, ready to pull her off Rithor, and Tam fell from his chair in surprise. Leyla's arms flew around the kings neck, and Midna reached for her shoulders, then stopped. Leyla s arms embraced the king in a way of comfort. Rithor hesitated before patting her back, somewhat awkwardly. Leyla let go and stepped back, then said, "Return to her. It's too late to correct your mistake, but it's not too late to say sorry." Leyla smiled encouragingly, a tiny curve of her lips, "She's grown wise, you'd be proud; and forgiven."

Rithor drew himself up a little, a tear finally managed to escape from his eyes. "I…" He looked at the expectant faces surrounding him. "I will," he said after a long pause. Tam let out a loud whoop, then covered his mouth. Leyla beamed at Rithor. Rithor reached over and rubbed her head, mussing her hair. "Now, wasn't there some other reason that you came here?"

Leyla gasped, "Oh! I need to know the secret about the Heart of the Sacred Grove!"

Rithor nodded and said, "Yes. Well, the Wood-Elves had given me a key to get in and out of the Wood-Elf lands, but I buried that somewhere a while ago because I wasn't going to be using it, and I certainly didn't want it to get stolen. Now, I would go and dig it up for you if hadn't said that you were a Wood-Elf." He looked at her, unsure if she was correct in this fact, but continued. "The Wood-Elves would use their magic on a symbol that was sacred to them, a bear, holding the Tri-Force in its claws."

Leyla suddenly saw an image of the bear, implanted in her memory. She had seen it when she and Midna had been scouring the wall of the Temple of Time for clues. But… she saw it somewhere else, too. Painted onto the ceiling of some sort of great, domed ceiling, etched into grandiose vases, inked into parchments…. Leyla blinked and shook her head. Random images of the Bear protectively clutching the Tri-Force in its claws swimming before her eyes before fading away.

"You ok?" Midna asked. Leyla looked at her, confused at first, then realized that she must have looked she had experienced an odd headache, which she had. She nodded and muttered that she was fine.

"I know where the symbol you described is, though," Leyla said. She turned to Rithor, King Rithor, and bowed. Not a feminine bow or curtsey, but a soldier's bow, one that was solely meant for men; right hand over heart with only the first two fingers, aside from the thumb, extended, symbolizing the sword and shield that a soldier promised to carry, bending the body just above the waist for three seconds, three for the Tri-Force. Rithor seemed shocked by this act, but hid it quickly.

Rithor put a hand on Leyla's shoulder. "You know, if you really are a Wood-Elf, a full blooded Wood-Elf," Rithor shook his head, muttering, "must be no more than sixteen," and then looked her straight in the eyes. "If that is true, then you are a miracle. How you escaped the… whatever evil that destroyed the Wood-Elves… was… is… a miracle." He looked deeper into her eyes, then muttered something else, this time too low under his for even Leyla's ears to pick up.

"Uh, Budz?" Leyla asked, "Um… R-rithor?" Leyla tried out the name. She found slightly hard to pronounce.

Rithor shook his head, and answered, "Oh, nothing. You just remind me of someone." He then sat back down in his chair, knees popping. "Well," he groaned, "you'd best be off, then. Especially if you know what to do." He smiled, "I shall return to the castle shortly." Rithor turned to the tall, dirty boy who was still sitting awkwardly where he had landed on the ground. "Tam!" he called,

"Yes? What?" Tam said, shaking his head, not moving from his spot on the floor.

"What are you doing down there?" Rithor asked. A silence, a guilty silence, followed.

Leyla cast a quick glance about the table. "Tam…" she asked, "are you eating the last of the pie?" There was a shuffling sound, and Tam stood up, trying to discreetly wipe away what was left of the apple pie from his face, making it look as though he was simply scratching at his face or swatting bugs away.

"Don't know a thing about a pie," Tam said nonchalantly. Arctic Fox yapped loudly, bringing sudden attention to her previously forgotten presence. In Leyla's mind, the yapping was translated into _'Liar!'_

Leyla couldn't help but laugh. Tam glared down at Arctic Fox as though to say "Traitor," without words. The king then caught on and chuckled a little himself. Midna let out a giggle, then coughed. "Shall we go?" she asked.

Leyla nodded, still smiling. "Thank you so much for your help!" Leyla said as she turned to the king. Rithor nodded, and waved his good bye.

"Oh, let me guide you out!" Tam said, rushing towards the door. He stumbled on his own feet along the way, but he successfully reached the door and opened it, allowed the girls through first, then, after saying good-bye to Rithor, closed the door behind him. Then, realizing he was still inside, Tam opened the door again, stepped outside, then closed the door.


	11. Chapter 10:That Nagging feeling

Tam escorted Leyla and Midna all the way to the ruins of the Temple of Time. Leyla was once again exasperated at not knowing how to get there on her own, but reigned in the rude comments that had begun to bubble up. Instead, she turned to him and said, "Thanks, Tam. We can take it from here. Why don't you help Budz… I mean Rithor… King Rithor…."

"Help Budz get to the castle?" Tam offered, a slightly amused smile playing on his lips.

Leyla's eyes might as well have been shooting fireballs from the way Tam reacted to her glare, "Yes," she replied darkly.

Tam nodded, and started on his way back to Budz's house. Midna stretched and yawned loudly; obnoxiously loudly. "Well," she said at the tail end of her yawn, "I don't know about you, but, I'm tired." She found what used to be a pillar, but was now a circular stone stump, and sat on it. "Hope you don't mind if I take a break from our little game of 'I Spy'." She smiled impishly, then crossed her legs and closed her eyes. It wasn't long before she started to let out a low, barely audible snoring.

Leyla rolled her eyes at the Twili. How was this even a game of 'I Spy', anyhow? She shook her head and set to work, looking for the Wood-Elf symbol. She knew she had seen it somewhere around here. _'On the ceiling.'_ There was no ceiling! _'On the painting.'_ What painting? Everything was etched into the wall!

Leyla shook her head. Where were these voices, these memories, coming from, anyway? Leyla growled when she realized the sun had disappeared. It didn't hinder her much; she could easily see in the dark, but it was still a nuisance.

Then, she saw it. Covered in moss until you could only see it if you knew what it was supposed to be. A majestic bear, standing on its hind legs, clutching the Tri-Force protectively. Chills spread throughout her as she traced the ornate, yet worn, carving. "I found it…." She whispered in disbelief. She took her hand back, surprised that it was shaking. Why did she feel so…so…. Exhilarated was the only word she could think of to describe. Excited. Like she was going home.

_'Home.'_ That voice from before spoke again, as softly as she had.

"What's up?" Leyla jumped at Midna's voice. She turned to see the Twili stretching. "Did you find it?" The Princess asked tiredly.

Leyla nodded. Why was she speechless? There was no reason for this!

Midna looked at the bear, then at Leyla. "How do you open it?" she asked.

"I…." Leyla looked at the symbol. "I have no idea," she answered, chewing her lip.

"Well," Midna said, scratching her head, "perhaps there's a password?"

Leyla shrugged. If there was a password involved, then they were never going to be getting into the Wood-Elf lands. _'Instinct.'_ This time it was more of a feeling than a voice. Leyla reached out her hand placed her palm over the Tri-Force. She focused as much of her magic energy as she could muster, and let it flow. She didn't direct it, it directed itself, and she felt it flooding the entire area. Midna gasped from behind her, and Leyla looked back, and let a gasp escape from her own throat. All the etchings and designs were glowing, and throbbing, like a heart.

"What are you doing?" Midna's voice was full of awe.

"I-I…." Leyla's words were strangled. What _was_ she doing? Leyla closed her eyes tightly as a bright flash flooded the area. It disappeared within the same instant, yet it still left a mark on her retina. Leyla blinked several times until the purple blob had faded from her vision, and took in her surroundings. Her hand was on a moss-covered, weather-beaten statue. Leyla looked it up and down; it was the bear, slightly taller than she was. Its paws were clutching the Tri-Force, and a snarl was barely visible on its face. Leyla's hand was resting on the Tri-Force, right in the middle of it. She took her hand away and stepped back, bumping into Midna, who didn't even react.

"Midna," Leyla said, her voice shaking, "I think we made it…."

Midna turned her head to look at Leyla, "Ya think?" she said, awe hidden in her sarcasm. She gestured in front of her. Leyla stepped out from behind her tall friend and felt her breath catch. They were standing above a large forest, one that was green with red bark. Birds flitted here and there, waves rising, and then disappearing. In the distance, there was a giant lake, or perhaps it was the sea? Leyla couldn't tell. Between the lake and the forest, there were the remains of a palace, with a devastated town surrounding it. Even in its sorry state, the palace was beautiful.

_'Home,'_ the voice whispered. Leyla felt something stir deep in her mind, as though some part of her memory was trying to awaken, but all it could do was stir. Leyla stepped forward and took a deep breath of the air. _'Familiar. Comforting. Home,'_ the voice said.

Leyla was awakened from her reverie by Midna, "You know, your pad must have been pretty sweet if you loved down there, in the town."

Leyla nodded. If she had lived there. She _had_ lived there, she knew it! She was a Wood-Elf, and she was home. She was a _Wood-Elf_, and she was _home_! Leyla realized that she was holding her breath, and had to force herself to breathe.

"Hey, Leyla?" Midna asked, concerned, "Are you ok? You're all shaky, and I know it's not that cold." She put her hand on Leyla's shoulder. "Come on, sit down or something, you're gonna have a heart attack!"

"I'm fine," Leyla muttered defiantly, but she responded to the pressure Midna's hand applied and sat down, cross-legged. "Not even tired," she added.

"Yeah, right." Midna rolled her eyes.

Both the girls jumped at the sound of the voice behind them. "Tired, my dears?"

Leyla and Midna turned to see a bent-over old woman behind them, gray hair covered by a black veil, and what looked like a bundle of cloaks and petticoats simply wrapped around her. The old woman smiled warmly. "I have a cottage not far from here. Perhaps I could offer you tea? A place to rest? Yes?"

Midna raised an eyebrow at the old woman. "No thank-." She started, but Leyla cut her off, saying, "Yes please, we would appreciate that!"

The old woman turned and beckoned for them to follow. "This way, dears." And she waddled off, skirting widely around the statue of the Sacred Bear, which looked as though it was snarling at the woman as she passed.

Leyla got up to follow immediately. Midna grabbed her shoulder just as she reached the snarling bear. "What?" Leyla demanded.

"I don't trust her. At all," Midna answered.

"Why not? She's just an old lady," Leyla said, fighting to keep mockery out of her voice.

"Her aura, it doesn't feel right." Midna said, then adjusted her shawl uncomfortably.

"She's an old woman, Midna. Maybe she's another survivor, like me!" Leyla felt excited. Maybe, she could learn about some old fairy-tales that she might have heard when she was little?

"I don't think so…." Midna muttered, but Leyla had continued walking and obviously wasn't going to listen, so all Midna could do was sulk behind the two women all the way to the Old Woman's house.

The cottage was just over a small hill, and had smoke rising from the chimney. It rested just at the edge of a redwood forest, and was made of the trees that were only a few feet away from it. Midna couldn't sense anything wrong with this house, aside from the fact that the woman had left it while a fire was going, and hadn't said anything about having someone else at the house, not that she could hear, anyway. Leyla and the Old Woman waited for Midna at the door, which the old woman closed behind the Twili as soon as she entered.

"Now, just let me whip up some tea," the woman said, bustling around the kitchen as though she had been doing so for years. "I'm afraid I only have one kind of tea, daisy." She said, then gestured out a window, where a box garden full of the yellow flowers flourished.

"Daisy tea?" Leyla asked. She hadn't heard of anyone using daisies to make tea before. Perhaps it was a regular thing in the Wood-Elf lands?

"Oh, yes, dear," the old woman nodded as she grabbed a few of the flowers by the heads and began plucking off the petals. "They have a most interesting flavor." She set down the petal-less flowers and proceeded to heat some water in an old, beat up kettle.

AAAA

Midna ignored the rest of the conversation. She began looking around the small kitchen, taking in every detail. It seemed ordinary enough; nothing that told of danger. Except, perhaps, the knives. And the Old Woman. Midna didn't know why, but she couldn't help but feel suspicious of the way the woman's aura felt. Leyla's felt powerful, and full of Light; more than any human, which is most likely to be expected of a Wood-Elf. This old woman's aura was simply…. Bland. Bland was the first word to come to mind. And strong, way too strong for an old lady.

"Tea, dear?" Midna turned to see the Old Woman handing her a cup of tea. It smelled strongly of daisies, and was a dark yellow color.

"Um, no thanks. I don't drink tea." Midna lied. She wouldn't have minded tasting it, just a little. That was one of her favorite things to do; taste different types of teas.

"That's all right, dear." The Old Woman said. "Or," she added, "would you mind if I called you Midna?" she asked.

Midna shot Leyla such a look that should have knocked her over. Leyla's own face was hidden in a tea cup, but her eyes stared back at Leyla, defiantly. Challengingly.

Midna smiled at the old woman. "I think I'll go outside for ah… fresh air," she said. She then exited the small house before the other two could say anything. After the door closed behind her, Midna felt something tug at her mind, at her conscience. Should she have left Leyla in there, with potential danger? Midna snorted at herself. Leyla can take care of herself, right?

Right.

Midna started to walk up the hill. The least she could do was survey the land, at least, as much as the hill would let her. Midna looked up at the starry sky. Or she could just look for constellations. So she arranged her shawl lay on her back, her arms under her head. Maybe she was just being paranoid, and the old woman was harmless. She wouldn't put it past herself, nor would she blame herself, especially after what had happened with Zant last year. An event like that could keep a girl on her toes, and her eyes wide open, even if the subject of suspicion was obviously harmless.

"Yeah, harmless," Midna muttered.


	12. Chapter 11:I Told You!

Leyla watched Midna leave, then shook her head. Why was she so suspicious of an old lady? What if this woman was another survivor? What if they could learn more about the land? About everything?

"Don't worry about it," the old woman chuckled. She set a tray of cookies on the table. "She probably just needs to blow off some steam."

'Yeah, that's for sure,' Leyla said to herself.

"Well, that's no reason why you can't relax." The old woman said, then her voice completely changed as she added, "Princess."

Leyla jumped from her seat, but not before a wave of nausea came over her. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she fell to her knees. Dark Link threw off the cloak and cleared his throat. "A lot of magic went into that disguise, and it wasn't easy to hide my Dark Aura." He grabbed her by the front of her shirt, "So please, don't struggle, make this as easy as possible for me, could you?" He slammed her down onto the table, the cookie plate fell to the floor and shattered, and the tea cups smashed against the wall when he wiped them away.

"I want as little mess as possible, too." He gestured around the room, "This place wasn't cheap, either."

Leyla tried to sit up at least, but she couldn't find the strength. Dark Link grabbed one of the kitchen knives and tested it on the counter. Hypocrite.

"It's too bad you're so pretty." he said, turning to her, the knife gleaming evilly. "But, I'll do you, and myself, a favor, and I'll leave your face alone."

Leyla tried to kick at him, but he grabbed her leg and spun her to the floor. Leyla's face hit the floor, and her lip obtained a nasty cut from the porcelain shards strewn about the floor.

Dark Link grabbed her shoulder and turned her over. "Didn't I ask you to make this easy for me?" he said coolly.

Leyla watched as he raised the knife, so mockingly slow. Or was that just the way it seemed to her? Just as it was about to pierce her chest, Leyla squeezed her eyes shut.

No, no, NO! The voice screamed. Can't die, can't die! Leyla felt something take over her mind, her body. Something… ancient. And powerful, extremely powerful. She fought to see what was happening, but she was being forced into sleep. When she opened her eyes, the house was in ruins, and Dark Link was gone. The area had a heavy blanket of Light Magic lingering about, and the strongest source was coming from Leyla.

Safe, alive…. The voice was relieved, very relieved. Leyla rubbed her head. Whatever that thing was, it saved her, thanks to that voice in her head. Where had it come from, anyway?

"LEYLA!" Midna came running down the hill, nearly stumbling over her feet, let alone her long robes. Once she reached her friend, she immediately put her hand to Leyla's forehead, then, as a sizzling sound emitted, let out a cry and drew her hand back. "By, Din! This is the Strongest Light magic I've ever been around!" She rubbed her hand, which had turned slightly red.

"Sorry," Leyla said, sitting up. Pain shot through her chest, and she looked down at it. There was a gaping hole where the knife had been plunged into her, but it was healing steadily, layer by layer. Rather sickening to watch really, Leyla had to look away before any bile rose in her throat.

"Well," Midna said, hands on her hips, a rather haughtily triumphant look on her face.

"What?" Leyla asked. Her head felt groggy.

"I told you," Midna said. Then she snapped her fingers and jumped up to her feet. "I told you!" she almost sang.

"That's great and all," Leyla said, attempting to heal herself without looking, "But did you see what happened?"

"No," Midna said, crossing her arms. "Once I felt the first bit of Light Magic, I was behind a rock. It's still kinda strong for me…." She shivered and rubbed her arms.

"Well," Leyla said, standing up and brushing herself off, "let's go, then." The two girls climbed back up the hill. Midna still complained about the intensity of the Light magic, but eventually it became simple mutters. As they passed the statue of the bear holding the Tri-force, Leyla noticed that its growling face seemed much more like a stern frown.

"Forgive me for being late," a new, yet familiar, voice said, "but the events that had just occurred needed to happen before I presented myself."

"Who? What? WHERE?" Midna screamed, turning on the spot, searching for the source of the voice. Her eyes lingered on the bear statue.

But Leyla was looking over where the ruins of the castle lay in the distance. She pointed at the highest, still intact tower, and said, "There." And started in the direction she had been pointing in.

"Where?" Midna repeated, before turning around. She gave out a small yelp as she noticed that Leyla was leaving her behind, and scrambled to keep up. "Where?" she asked again.

"The tower," Leyla answered, not breaking stride, nor taking her eyes off her destination. Midna felt a strong Light within Leyla grow, and noticed that her irises were glowing bright green. As time drew on, the light from Leyla's eyes appeared to be streaming away from them like smoke.

'What in the name of Din is going on?' Midna asked herself. This didn't seem normal. It wasn't hurting Leyla, but Midna felt as if she was getting a mild sunburn. Midna began to distance herself little by little from Leyla as the light became more and more intense.

"Almost there," Leyla muttered in a voice so quiet, Midna had to strain to hear it. Of course, she was also several feet away from her, now. Midna looked around. They had indeed just entered the ruins of the town. Leyla navigated the devastated streets as though she had trodden them for a thousand years. What was in the tower? Who was it that spoke earlier? Was it a ghost? Midna imagined them going up to the tower, only to find a hideous poe bent on harvesting their souls and satisfying its hunger with them.

Abruptly, Leyla stopped. They had arrived at the entrance to the castle. The draw bridge had been snapped onto several pieces, and now littered the bottom of the empty, algae covered moat. Only a few pieces of it supported each other, leading from the entrance of the castle to where Leyla and Midna were standing. Without saying a word, Leyla transformed into a wolf, her gray coat taking on a slightly green, throbbing hue. She walked along one piece until it came to a part where it was under a different piece, hopped onto that one, run up that piece, down another, then up, and hopped onto the other side. All as though in one fluid movement.

Midna gathered up her own magic and teleported to the other side. She looked down at her now canine friend. "You're green,"she commented.

Leyla blinked, then looked at Midna in surprise. "Green?" she asked. She twisted around to look at her body. Her ears flattened, then rose slightly when she noticed the glowing green tint her body had taken on. "Weird…." she said, but nothing more. She ran through the archway that had once held the drawbridge that served as a gate, and ran up to the crumbling castle. The huge, double doors had been ripped off their hinges, and Leyla simply ran through, Midna following on her heels. They ran upstairs, through endless corridors, and spiraled up more stairs. Just as Midna was feeling as though she might throw up, the two had stopped at a door. Leyla's wolf's back began to twitch as though she had an itch, and she slowly walked up to the door, transforming back as she did so. She put her hand on the door, and pushed. It opened, emitting a loud creak as it did.

Midna and Leyla entered the abandoned, dusty room. It seemed to be some sort of study, as the dominant feature was a large ornate, desk with many drawers and a pair of book cases, one on each side. Many of the books seemed to have survived, but several others were yellow with age, and brown with rot.

"I see you made it all right."

The voice came from in front of them, and following it was the apparition of a beautiful woman. She was pale, and her eyes a glowing turquoise. Her hair, which floated as though in an invisible wind, was a dark gold. Her kind smile was warmer than sunshine. Leyla's breath caught in her throat as she recognized the lady from her repetitive dreams.


	13. Chapter 12:The First Task

"You!" Leyla said as soon as she could breathe again. "It- it's you! From the, the-!"

The apparition raised a hand. "Yes," she answered, her voice a summer breeze. "Yes, I am the one who had… er… haunted… your dreams." She drew herself up regally. "I am Malia Marias, Wife of Thallmas Marias, and Queen of the Wood-Elf lands."

"You're the queen?" Leyla asked, bewildered. Even Midna was shocked.

Malia nodded. "Yes, I am." She pointed at Leyla. "You are the last of my kind, you are the last pure blooded Wood-Elf." She let her hand fall to her side. "I can sense that your magic is powerful already. Not the most powerful in the history of Wood-Elves, but very powerful nonetheless."

Leyla looked bashfully down at her feet. Then looked up again when Malia spoke.

"However, you can become even more powerful." She seemed to think for a minute, then continued, "Have you ever heard of the Sacred Stones?"

Leyla shook her head, then, reprimanding herself for doing that in front of a queen, said "No. Your highness."

"No need for formality, I am no longer living. This is no longer truly my kingdom." Malia responded. "Anyways," she went on, "there are four Sacred Stones. Earth, Fire, Air, and Water. They are guarded by great spirits, those who had once been either great leaders, great warriors, or both. Also, there are four Spirits who help to protect this land, Din, Nayru, Farore, and Hylia."

"They were named after the goddesses?" Leyla inquired.

"The first three mentioned are pieces of their spirits that were left behind. The last one, Hylia, was created after the completion of Hyrule. Now, you will need to acquire the Sacred Stones and give each of them to the Spirits."

"Why?" Midna asked.

Malia turned to the Twilight Princess. "Their power has been trapped, much like what had happened in Hyrule last year. But, instead of Twilight, it is being called Darkness by the Spirits. It is as if they have been covered in eternal night.

"The Sacred Stones will help them regain their power, and will enable them to keep it until all is done and over with."

"Um," Leyla said, stepping forward, "until what is all done and over with?" she asked timidly.

"My Dear child," Malia said, lowering herself and floating closer to Leyla, until they were nearly eye to eye, "Ganondorf is being revived by his minions as we speak. They are performing an archaic form of Necromancy, and already, he has reached out with his Black Magic, and has started to cause disruption. He seeks revenge upon those who had defeated him. He seeks revenge upon you, and it is you who must stop him."

Leyla felt stunned. Ganondorf was coming back? How? Why? Leyla knew the answers to these questions, but still, she asked herself.

"I know that this is sudden, and grossly disturbing news, but it is true." Malia said, cutting through Leyla's thoughts. "He has minions who still prowl about this world. You have seen one of his demons, yourself."

"Dark Link," Leyla muttered, realization overwhelming her as things started clicking into place. Dark Link is trying to revive Ganondorf. But, is he doing it by himself? No, most likely not. Malia said minions, plural.

A voice suddenly emitted from the saddle bag strapped around her shoulders, "Hey, will someone tell us what is going on?" Jav's voice called out, muffled by the leather and cloth. Leyla pulled out the mirror shard and let the cloth fall to the ground. Jav spoke up again, "I heard a lot of mumbo-jumbo about super power Light stuff and goddesses and Ganondorf. Mind explaining?" the pointed boy asked.

"Ganondorf is being revived by his minions," Malia said. Leyla turned the shard around so that the brothers trapped inside could see who was speaking. "What you heard about Light was Leyla's natural defense mechanism. Only one Wood-Elf at a time can ever house the power of the Light Dragon's Spirit, and only one Wood-Elf has ever been able to control it."

"Light Dragon?" Leyla asked. Was that what she had turned into? "I didn't know I could do that."

"It is only a defense mechanism. If you are threatened with a very sudden death, such as a stab to the heart, it will activate." Malia explained, then hesitated, "There is a way around it. A slow death, such as bleeding to death, or natural death, will not cause it to activate."

"Well, all I'd have to do is heal myself before I become a prune, then." Leyla said, attempting to make a joke. Attempting, and failing.

"Leyla," Malia said, sternly, "you have several tasks before you. The first of which is collecting the Sacred Stones and delivering them to the Spirits." Malia allowed herself to float slightly higher. "This will be a rather tedious task, but it is not the worst. I will show you to the first Guardian. Each Guardian has a unique task that you must complete before obtaining the stone. Some are easy, some are difficult." Malia inclined her head, and gestured towards a broken window. "Place your friends back in your bag, and we shall leave."

Leyla wrapped the shard in the cloth, despite the brother's protests. She placed in the saddle bag. She looked at the window, which had a few panes missing, and several cracks in it. Even the largest hole wasn't enough for a gryphon.

Leyla shrugged, and transformed. She allowed Midna to mount, then rushed at the window. Midna gave a shriek as Leyla didn't stop to break the window more, but simply jumped through it, shards of dirty, old glass showering down. Leyla let out an eagles screech of delight, while Midna's was one of fear. The Twilight Princess hugged Leyla's large feathered neck, causing her to lose balance for a few moments. Leyla leveled out and hovered, searching for Malia, who appeared in front of her.

Leyla, startling, missed a wing beat and fell several feet in the air. When she caught herself, she followed the ghost, who led them over an overgrown forest. Suddenly, the apparition dived down to a clearing with a large stone in the middle. Leyla dived down as well, causing an already scared Midna to panic even more. Leyla winced as the Twili started to nearly pull feathers from her neck.

Leyla flapped once before landing, and was tempted to throw Midna off. Just as she was about to buck, however, she noticed the rock in front of her was, in reality, a statue.

A giant bear standing on its hind paws. It didn't hold a Triforce, but a strange medallion of some sort. Leyla noticed a small glint of green between its claws.

"This is the first Guardian." Malia said. Then, she disappeared like evening mist.

"So, now what?" Midna asked, shakily dismounting.

Leyla reverted to her true form and rubbed her neck. She was going to get herself fitted for a saddle if Midna was going to be that clingy. She stretched her shoulders, and after hearing the satisfying pops that ensued, she went to examine the statue. Midna sat down on a rock and propped her chin in her hands, watching.

Leyla walked over to the bear and put her hand on its claws, over the green light. Both she and Midna gasped when the statue moved. It leaned over, holding its hidden treasure to its chest, and snorted out old dust and crumbled rock into Leyla's face, a menacing snarl taking the place of its stern frown.

For some reason, this didn't do more than slightly startle Leyla. She took a step towards it, and said, "I greet ye, Great Bear of the Great Kingdom."

The bear straightened up, and opened its large mouth. "I know what you seek, and in order to earn it, my challenge you must first beat." The bear settled onto all for paws, the green glow gone. "If you hath the strength, meet me in battle!"

Leyla felt herself transform into a wolf. The bear swung a giant stone paw at her head, but she jumped to the side. She bit at his arm, and yelped as she bit the bear's stone skin.

The bear swung at her again, and she ducked. She continued dodging and ducking all the bear's attacks. How was she to fight a stone? She would only end up hurting herself, if not killing herself!

The bear hurtled its whole body at her. Leyla leapt up in the air and landed on the bear's back as it smashed into a tree. Splinters flew all directions, and bear pushed the tree down completely as it stood up on all fours.

Leyla struggled to keep her balance on the bear. Short of rolling over and shaking, there wasn't much the bear could to get her off. Leyla dug her claws into the moss growing on the bear's shoulders. She could already feel herself slipping as the statue began to look for her. It wagged its huge head as it scanned the small clearing, then reared up onto its hind legs for a better view. Leyla slid of right away, her claws leaving long scratches in the bear's stone back.

The bear turned to look at her at the sound of claw on stone. It seemed to smile devilishly when its carved eyes fell on her. It stood over Leyla, and lifted both its front paws. Leyla was on her back and at a loss for what to do. Whether she moved or stayed, she was going to get seriously hurt. Just as she was about to roll over onto her stomach, the bear's paws came crashing down on her.

The bear chuckled. "Excellent," it growled.

Leyla's breathing was coming fast, and her heart was fit to race against Storm in a gallop! Her hind legs were beginning to ache with the weight of the bear resting on them. A sigh of relief turned into a pained gasp for air as the bear stood up and back away from her.

"You are strong, in muscle and in wisdom," the bear said, bowing its head in acknowledgment. It put its right paw to its breast, then, holding the green light again, handed it to Leyla. "You have earned the right to this power. Quickly, take it to the Earth Spirit as fast possible." The bear sat on its haunches, and seemed to think a minute, "Perhaps I shall send you on your way with some speed."

The ground rumbled, and a large hole in front of the bear opened up. "This portal will take you to the edge of the Dark Zone."

Midna walked over to the edge of the hole. "Down there?" she squeaked.

"The Zone is above ground, this is merely a way of travel." The bear said.

Leyla transformed back and walked over to the bear. "Why would you test me if the Spirits need the stones so badly?" she inquired.

"Not only is it custom, but highly necessary. Only a Wood-Elf can pass these tests, and if anything else were to try, they would be killed." The bear nodded towards a direction over its shoulder. "You have already seen a rather ill attempt at a disguise. There are others out there who can hide from even us. But no one, except for a righteous Wood-Elf, can pass these tests." The bear stood up to its full height, assuming the position it had been in before, speaking one more word, its mouth unmoving. "Go." The word echoed in the girls' minds.

Midna looked at Leyla, "Where did you learn that language?" she asked.

"What language?" Leyla was confused. As far as she knew, she had been speaking common Hylian the whole time!

"It was almost like you were singing, but the bear responded in the same way, so I assumed it was a different language."

"When?"

"Just before the bear attacked, that was the only time, too." Midna looked at Leyla with a raised eyebrow. "Obviously, you didn't notice."

"Obviously," Leyla said, rolling her eyes.

"GO!" the bear statue roared, its eyes glowing red.

Leyla jumped, then hopped down the hole without further argument. Midna hesitated, looking at the bears unmoving, snarling face, and hopped down as well.

AAAA

Tam walked behind Budz. At first, the town didn't seem to notice the arrival of their long gone king, but, after one old woman recognized him, the whole of Hyrule Castle Town was pressing in on them, asking questions, inquiring whether he was truly the king or not. Budz didn't answer any of them. He simply continued on to the castle, and seemed rather annoyed that so many people were tagging along and slowing him down.

Mink sighed. "Are we there yet?" he moaned.

Tam was oh-so-tempted to slap him, but he controlled himself. Now was not the time to be teaching the semi-aquatic weasel a lesson. However, as soon as they were out of town….

Arctic Fox chirped out a bark, "I think we are!" Tam looked up. They were indeed, at the gates of the castle. The guards recognized Tam and his family, and nodded a greeting. But they looked at Budz with suspicion.

"Who is this?" they asked the tall, dirty boy.

"Uncle Bu- I mean, King Rithor," Tam said, puffing up his chest, feeling proud to be a person to know the king on a personal level.

The guards laughed. "The king?" on the them said, "he's been dead for years, didn't you know?" The guard took a deep breath, "Oh, I tell you, Tam, you come up with the best of stuff." He turned to his partner, "Let Tam and his 'King' in. If I know Tam, than his pal here is no trouble at all."

Budz didn't react to being laughed at. He simply nodded in thanks and walked in, following Tam. Once the gate had closed behind them, and a page had taken up the task of escorting them, Tam asked his old friend, "Why didn't you say something?"

"Who would believe me?" Budz answered. "I've been dead. Only Zelda can prove that I have come back to life."

"Oh." Tam was unsatisfied with this answer, though. How dare they laugh at their ruler like that? Even if, in a way, Budz did deserve it, it wasn't the way to treat a king, much less his friend.

Tam looked up at the large, ornate doors that led into the Throne Room. They were already open, and a small line of townsfolk trailed inside, all of them holding small papers with broken wax, as though they had been summoned.

"What's going on?" Tam wondered aloud.

He was answered by a new arrival, "Princess Zelda has called for volunteers in army business." The young man then pushed passed Tam, looked at Budz's empty hands, and pushed past him, too. Again, no one treated their king properly! Of course, no one really knew for certain that Budz was the king.

This time, however, Budz did react. He turned to Tam and gestured for him to follow, then began to go around the line, passing every single person without so much as looking at them. His eyes were glued to the figure in the purple dress, right in front of the throne.

Zelda turned as soon as the complaints started. She had been talking to someone who seemed to be underage for a soldier, but now needed to take care of a problem.

Budz, King Rithor of Hyrule, her own father, was that problem. She waited for him to come up to the throne, she waited for him to finish his bow, before saying, "I'm sorry, but I must send you to the end of the line. You have cut everyone else."

Budz looked behind himself at all the other irritated men. He turned back to Zelda and said, shrugging, "It appears I have."

Zelda's mouth twitched as though she were suppressing a giggle. Then her eyes widened a little.

"Have I… met you before?" she inquired.

"Yes, indeed you have." Budz answered. "I do believe I was there for most of your life."

Zelda raised an eyebrow slightly at him, then addressed the line of men waiting for an interview. "Excuse me, but we will need to continue this tomorrow. You are all brave men of Hyrule, and you all deserve to be given highest opportunity, but… something… has come up, and it needs my utmost attention immediately."

The men let out disappointed groans, while others, possibly those who were forced to come by parents, let out sighs of relief, and were first out the door.

Zelda turned back to Budz, a serene coolness in her icy blue eyes. She and Budz stared at each other, Zelda with suspicion and a hint of blame, Budz with hope and fear.

After a long, awkward silence, Zelda asked a rather awkward question; "Why did you come back now?" Her voice was cold, "Why now? Why not earlier? Why weren't you there for me? For-for…." The princess's eyes welled up with tears.

"I wanted to. I truly did." Budz said, ringing his hands, but his eyes never leaving Zelda's. "I saw you and her. It looked as though you had given up on me, as though you were ashamed."

"That's no excuse!" Zelda cried out, her voice reverberating around the nearly empty room. She slumped onto the throne. Tam had never seen her lose it like that. The most he had seen of a melt down from her was when Arctic Fox stole an old man's toupee. She turned slightly red, and her voice wavered a little when she spoke afterwards, but that was it, and she had recovered quickly, as well. But right now, she was on the verge of tears.

"I know it isn't. I regret it every day," Budz said. He took a seat next to Zelda on the wide throne, made for three.

"Why did you leave?" she whispered.

Budz started to say something, but didn't. Tam spoke up, "He was doing what he felt was right: looking for surviving Wood-Elves."

"Why alone?" Zelda continued.

Tam shrugged, nearly causing Mink to fall off his shoulders. "He didn't want to risk anyone else getting hurt." Tam pointed at Budz. "He's got good morals, he just needs more brains."

Zelda let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, I guess he does." She looked at Budz, the tiniest of smiles on her faces.

"Am I forgiven?" Budz asked endearingly.

In response, Zelda launched herself at her father, hugging him. Her body racked with sobs, and Budz embraced his daughter as though she were little. Although, over Zelda's shoulder, he mouthed the words, "I'm too old for attack hugs."

Arctic Fox suddenly barked out, "Hey, Tam, didn't Leyla and, uh, Mi-d-na… um, didn't they go to the Wood-Elf Lands?"

"Yeah." Tam responded obnoxiously. Then it hit him, "Oh, yeah!" he cried out, jumping, sending poor Mink flying. "Budz!" Tam called out. The old king and the young princess turned to look at him, Zelda's mascara a huge, watery mess. "I need to get to the Wood-Elf Lands!"

"Whatever for, Tam?" Budz asked.

"Well…." Tam pondered. How was he to explain his task without sounding creeping or crazy? "Here goes," Tam muttered to himself before recounting his odd 'more than a dream-dream' for the royals before him.

It had to be one of the most awkward things he had ever talked about; and he had talked about a lot of awkward things before.


	14. Chapter 13: A Job To Do

Chapter 14: A Job To Do

Leyla was thrown from the hole by an invisible force. Her fall, however, was slow. She was set down gently next to its opening. Midna was shot out not long after, her arms flailing until she realized that she had slowed down. Once the Twili had landed, the hole collapsed upon itself, and fresh grass thick in the overturned dirt, making it seem as though it was never there.

Midna shivered and rubbed her arms. "Never again," she said, shaking her head, "never. I hate that way of travel. It's too rushed."

"And warping isn't?" Leyla questioned.

"Shut up," Midna growled.

"Well," Leyla said, brushing the subject aside, "I think we're here, at least." She pointed towards what looked like a giant, thick, dark fog.

"There's no barrier," Midna observed, "anyone can walk in or out with ease. Well," she added, "the dark energy might hurt them, and who knows what's in there."

"Let's go, then!" Leyla said enthusiastically. She added a skip to her step, and progressed at a brisk walk to the wall of darkness, Midna following behind. As they approached, the sky grew darker, and the scent of wretched evil permeated the air. The fog grew thicker around them, engulfing them. Then, it vanished, leaving them in a world that was warped and twisted, a perverted version of the pristine Wood-Elf lands. The sky was a deep blood red, and the trees were dark and menacing. Bushes were bare of leaves, yet covered in sharp, fang like thorns.

"I wonder what the post cards are like…." Leyla muttered, trying to amuse herself. Her eyes were vigilant, and her ears strained to hear anything that might be a threat. Then, her stomach seemed to catch fire, and her bones were twisting.

"Crap…" she managed to weakly let out before she collapsed.

Leyla awoke to Midna sitting in front of her. Leyla sat up, her small wolf form protesting in agony at the movements.

"Well," Midna said, standing up and brushing herself off, "we found one similarity between Dark and Twilight Zones."

"Yeah, but at least in the Twilight Zones, I wasn't all sore," Leyla groaned. If she could, she would rub her back, but her canine bone structure prevented her from doing so. Sometimes, being able to turn into sacred creatures simply sucked.

"It'll get better, don't worry," Midna said, patting Leyla's head. "To be nice, I won't ride you. At least, not until your back is better."

"Thanks… I guess…." Leyla said, wincing as she stood up fully. She took in a deep breath, and as she did so, took in the scent of her surroundings. It smelled rotten, but there was one pure scent. It was dim, but there either way. It was the scent of a Spirit, and it was slowly dying.

"This way!" she charged in the direction of the scent, not waiting to see that Midna had understood right away. Not only could she smell it, but she could hear it, no, feel it, calling out to her. Calling for help.

Something knocked into Leyla's side, sending her flying. She crashed into a tree, and was left dazed. That something grabbed her by the front paws and lifted her up. Leyla stared into the face of a lizard. Not a Lizalfos, but a lizard, with wings. It slammed her into the tree again, and hissed at her, its red, snake slit eyes filled with malice.

"What in the name of-?" Midna gasped as the lizard being lashed out at her with sharp claws, holding Leyla with only one hand. Midna dodged barely in time, earning herself a cut on the cheek. The lizard turned back to Leyla, and opened its mouth wide, the sound of a growing inferno coming forth as its throat began to glow with fire.

"Crap!" Leyla squeaked. She kicked out with her hind legs, failing to hit her adversary as it danced backwards, but as it did so, its mouth closed, and small flames leaked from its mouth. It kicked her in the stomach with a powerful leg, leaving her breathless. Then, Midna jumped onto it, a jagged, black-stoned knife in her hand. She attempted to bring it close to the lizard's throat, but it grabbed her arms and flipped her over its own head, causing her to land on Leyla.

The lizard raised opened its mouth again, flames spurted forth as though in hungry excitement. Leyla shoved Midna off of her and launched herself at the lizard, grabbed its leg in her teeth. The lizard let out a howl, as well as a great tower of flame. It turned its head towards her, just as the fire was dying. Leyla felt her tail burn, but ignored it, for now. She unclamped her teeth around the lizards leg and jumped up for his throat. The Lizard grabbed her snout and forced her back down, and then Midna rushed in, her dagger preceding her. She managed to get it stuck in his shoulder, and again, the winged lizard howled. It opened its wings, revealing two hidden short swords. It unsheathed them, smirking.

"I was hoping to kill you without having to use these," it rasped, "seems I've underestimated you."

"Yeah, ya did!" Leyla snarled, hurling herself at the creature. The lizard danced out of the way and lashed out with its swords. Leyla jumped back, and continued to do so as the lizard advanced upon her, its swords a whirlwind of steel.

"Midna!" Leyla called out. "DO SOMETHING!"

Leyla tried to look past the lizard at her friend, but the swords were getting to dangerously close.

The lizard came very near cutting off Leyla's snout when a large, silvery spike protruded from its chest. The spike retracted, letting the lizard fall. Behind it, Midna had donned all four of the fused shadows, including the broken one, and had become the many armed, orange creature. The silver spike had disappeared, as Midna had no more use for it. She took off the helmet, then kicked the lizard thing, which was still gasping for breath on the ground.

"Surprised that didn't finish him." She muttered.

The lizard sneered. "You can't kill a Draktar that easily!" it snarled. "Especially not an Assassin."

"Draktar?" Leyla inquired.

"A powerful race, powerful enough to rival the Wood-Elves! Created by the king of evil to create an army."

"Oh, great, there's more of you?" Midna moaned.

The Draktar's sneer became even bigger. "Much more. And we only account for half of the army the dark Lord has planned."

"Sounds like fun," Leyla muttered without a hint of amusement in her voice.

The Draktar let out a loud cackle, which turned into an array of hacking coughs. After a while, the Draktar said, "Let me tell you this." He paused for breath before continuing, "Give up now. No matter what you do, you can't win. There is no hope. I am being kind in telling you this."

"I've heard enough," Midna growled. She grabbed the dagger that stuck out from the Draktar's shoulder and brought it down on its chest. The Draktar caught fire, the flames starting from where Midna had stabbed it. In a few seconds, the fire went out, and the Draktar was gone.

"Well," Leyla said, stretching, "my back feels a lot better."

Midna raised an eyebrow at Leyla. "After being thrown into a tree, and having me land on you?"

"Yeah, I think it stretched it out, popped the right pops, you know?" Leyla rolled her shoulders and stretched again. It did feel better, a lot better.

"Well, whatever," Midna said, waving her hand. "Where to?"

Leyla took in a deep breath again. The scent of evil was considerably less than before the Draktar had appeared. Not too far away, Leyla could feel the ever-weakening Spirit. "Over there, its close!" Leyla said, bolting off again.

AAAA

Tam cautiously approached the fog. He reached forward with one hand, his head turned the other way and his face screwed up as though expecting a monster to chomp his hand off. He met no resistance, but he felt evil enveloping him. He immediately hurried back, tripping over his own feet in his haste, and crawling out away on all fours until he reached blue skies again.

Arctic Fox, who had been sitting patiently just out of reach of the fog, raised an eyebrow at him. "Chicken," she announced.

"Arctic Fox!" Tam said chidingly.

"Not you!" she exclaimed, jumping up. "The brown weasel attached to your leg!"

Mink had wound his claws into Tam's pants. He had been around the tall boy's neck, but Tam's stumbling about caused him to fall off. As he fell, he had latched onto Tam's thick, bear-skin pants.

"N-not a w-weasel," Mink chattered, "not a-a chicken."

Arctic Fox rolled her eyes, "Sure ya ain't."

"Grizzly Bore says that 'ain't' ain't a word," Tam said, recalling the droll speech made by the scholarly bear not too long ago. The amount of words that Grizzly had used to complain about one word still baffled Tam.

"Then why do you use it?" Mink asked, getting control over his shivers.

"Because I can, and I ain't going to let Grizzly stop me!" Tam argued back.

"Well, are you going to follow the girls or what?" Arctic Fox asked. "They just entered that fog thing."

Tam whirled around. Midna and Leyla were no longer in sight. "So much for getting here early," he heard Arctic Fox grumble.

Tam growled and dove into the fog, ignoring the feeling of something trying to break into his mind. Or was that just Mink clinging to his head? Either way, he ignored it. After a few more steps, the fog cleared, and the sky was as red as raspberry juice mixed with cranberries. A combination that still made Tam shudder and feel the need to gag.

"Tam," Arctic Fox started, "why do you have a tail?" She looked up at him with very serious eyes. "Are you hiding something from us?"

"I don't have a tail, anyone with eyes can see that," Tam answered, swishing his tail in annoyance.

It took Tam a couple of seconds for the feeling of something extra coming from his tail bone to sink in.

"Guys," he whispered, "I have a tail." His words were hesitant and unsure. He twisted himself a little to see it. Coming put from just under his shirt was a thick, black, panthers tail. Then, Tam felt every other part of his body begin to twist and bend. He fell to the ground, his mind relieving him of the experience, turning everything black.

When Tam awoke, he stretched, but in the most cat-like way, flexing his claws, scratching them along the dirt. He sat up, and looked down at his heavily muscled, fur covered arms.

"T-Tam?" Mink asked, he was staring at the tall dirty boy, eyes filled with fear.

"What?" Tam asked, his voice a grumble. He then let out a loud yowl, jumping up into the air. "MINK, WHAT DID YOU DO?" he screamed.

"How is this my fault?" Mink questioned.

"I DON'T KNOW, IT JUST IS!" Tam shuddered, feeling his hackles rise and fall, then rise again. His tail puffed up, giving him the appearance of an impossibly fluffy kitten.

"Tam, you're a panther. How did Mink do that?" Arctic Fox argued, on Mink's side, for once.

"He- he-" Tam said. At loss, he plopped down, his tail losing some of its fluffiness. "Good point. Mink isn't smart enough to do something like this…."

"Exactly!" Mink said proudly, puffing up his chest and holding his head high.

Tam rolled his eyes. "See?"

Arctic Fox nodded, then smacked Mink upside the head with a white paw.

"Well," Tam stood up, and shook himself, his fur coat correcting itself as he did so, "you two stay here, I'm going to go look for Midna and Leyla."

Arctic Fox nodded again. "OK. Wait, WHAT?" she yelped. Now, it was Mink's turn to slap her.

"Stay here," Tam repeated, before delving further into the darkness.

It didn't take long to catch Leyla's scent; apparently, she had been transformed, too, and because of it, she was also knocked out for a few minutes. Tam tried to stick to as many bushes as he could, hoping his black coat will help him hide amongst them. Then, he remembered, the lady in his dream had said that she would render him invisible at the right time. Was now the right time? Tam galloped to get in front of Leyla, then tried to draw as much attention to herself as possible; attempting to do a tap dance in his current form, which proved a clumsy mistake. Doing jumping jacks, another mistake. Chasing his tail, a rather ridiculous activity for a cat.

None of these attracted Leyla's attention. She walked right by him without so much as a glance in his direction. She didn't even seemed phased when he made sounds, nor did she pick up on his scent!

"Cool!" Tam said, awestruck at the Dream-Lady's work.

Tam was knocked to the side when something rushed in to attack Leyla. He struggled to his feet, but was held down by another one of those, things, almost as soon as he was standing.

The thing was a giant lizard, built like a man, with large bat like wings. Its strong fingers were wrapped around his thick throat, tightly. Tam was using his forepaws to try to push him off, but he was evenly matched, it seemed. The lizard thing wouldn't budge, but it did open its mouth, revealing an array of razor sharp teeth. Its throat began to glow, and Tam started to feel a growing heat, like a fire slowly coming to life.

Tam squirmed around until his hind legs were beneath the creature, then he pushed hard, sending the beast over his head and into a pile of bushes. The creature spat out the fire ball, just as he landed, lighting the bushes. Tam paced in front of the fire, his green cat-eyes searching for the creature. It came up from behind him, somehow having escaped his notice. It grabbed his tail and yanked on it. Tam let out a loud yowl, then turned and struck back furiously, his claws raking against the lizard's scaly skin.

The lizard thing screeched and clutched its arm, which had begun to intensely bleed what looked like glowing yellow and red blood. It snarled at him, then lunged forward again. Tam raised himself and brought his front paws down on its shoulders. The force of the lizard thing's lunge had caused him to slide back slightly, but it had also dislocated at least one of the creature's shoulders. By the looks of it, it was the one that had been unscathed. What a pity.

Tam snarled in its face, its red-glowing, snake-slit eyes showing slight fear, which was hidden quickly. Something inside Tam awoke, telling him to take its life, to use his teeth to rip at the life giving vessel on the creature's throat. Tam felt disgust rise in him, yet the urge, the need, to do it, grew even more. Without letting himself think about it more, Tam lunged forward, his jaw agape. There was a sickening, crunching sound, and the body jerked. He let it fall, gagging and spitting, his mouth burning from the creature's fiery blood. It looked at him, and gasped, "A worthy… opponent…. At least I die… knowing I fought… such…." Its body caught fire, and was reduced to nothing but cinders.

Tam stared at where the… thing had been, then muttered, "That ain't cool." He shook his head, and then turned away, sniffing the air for any sign of Leyla. She wasn't too far away, and seemed that she and Midna had just finished off another one of those things, the fire just blowing itself out as he approached. The girls spoke a few words to each other, then continued on, following Leyla's nose as it twitched and was swiveled about. Tam followed closely, keeping a sharp eye out for those things. What were they, anyways? He had never seen them before. He wondered if Grizzly knew. Most likely, Grizzly knew about a lot of things, and boasted about knowing everything. But something didn't sit right with Tam about those creatures. They seemed to be created. Well, all monsters were created, but those ones seemed unnatural, far more unnatural than any other monster he had encountered. Tam sighed, and pushed the thought away to dwell upon later. He had more important things to focus on right now.

A bright light made him blink, and when his eyes had finally adjusted, he looked up to see that the girls had made it to their destination.

It was a small pond, fed by a gurgling, underwater stream, then traveled from the pond to another underwater stream. It had a faint, green glow, and just above the water was a large, glowing ball of light. It was gold, with a green center, which seemed to pulse weakly inside it. To Tam, it seemed as though the gold part was simply a waning shield, protecting the heart from outside forces.

"You have done well, hidden one." Tam jumped as the voice sounded in his head. He felt warmed from inside as though the light above the pond had entered his body. "You shall be rewarded, in time. For now, continue your post as a hidden protector."

"Um, OK?" Tam answered. The voice vanished, the warmth replaced with the coldness of the Dark Zone. Leyla was holding something in her canine teeth. It was green, and also glowed with a pulsing light, beating in time with the light above the pond. An arch of light shot from the gem in Leyla's mouth, pulling itself to the light above the pond. Leyla let go, and the gem was quickly drawn into the gold shield.

Pitch black. Tam blinked. "Who put the lights out?" he panicked. Suddenly, color filled his eyes, and the aroma of sweetly scented flowers filled his nose. Birds chirped peacefully overhead, and the pond gurgled and chuckled to itself. In place of the pulsing green light, a tall woman of gold with grass-green hair stood in the air above it. Her garments were white, and seemed to be fashioned after the clothes of a long lost era, as it was a simply cut dress with brooches in the shape of the Triforce to adorn the thin sleeves. Her eyes were pure green, with pupils of gold.

The golden woman looked down at Leyla, who was in her normal form. "Well done, young Wood-Elf," she said, her voice full of wisdom of the ages. She bowed deeply to Leyla and Midna, her arms spread apart to take in the two of them and, Tam thought, himself as well. The two girls bowed, and Tam himself, felt inclined to do so. As he did, he found that he, himself, was back to normal as well.

"For saving me, I shall grant you power." She held out a hand to Leyla. "Come, learn it."

Leyla looked back at Midna, then took the Spirit's hand. Both women were engulfed in a bright green light, and when it disappeared, Leyla had three, green claws marks on her face, and her eyes glowed fiercely with power. Leyla looked down at her hands. "Thank you," she breathed, barely audible to Tam's enhanced ears.

"You are most welcome," the Spirit responded. She pointed to the north, where the castle stood in desolation. "Return to the Queen of the kingdom, and save my sisters. Use your new-found powers to travel faster."

The Spirit bowed once more, then turned into an orb of pulsing light, which dissolved into the water.

Leyla smirked at Midna, who was worried by this. "What?" the Twilight Princess asked apprehensively.

"We get to travel underground, again," Leyla said, her eyes glowing even brighter. She was engulfed in bright light, and reappeared as a large, white wolf, still bearing the green claw marks on her right eye.

"What, are you going to dig a tunnel?" Midna replied snarkily.

"Not quite," Leyla answered. She reared up, her mouth open, exposing large fangs. She dug her teeth into the ground, and the earth gave way, revealing a tunnel, much like the one the bear had created. Leyla sat back up. She didn't even look like it hurt! No scratches, no blood. Tam took his hand from his own mouth; as soon as Leyla's had made contact with the ground, he had started feeling at his own teeth for any sores or empty gum sockets.

"Come on!" Leyla said, jumping down, tucking her tail beneath her as she did. Midna groaned, then stepped into the hole. As soon as both the girls disappeared, and the hole had closed up behind them, Tam felt the comforting warmth and the voice in his head again.

"I shall personally transport you and your friends. If you are ever lost, or simply can't keep up well enough, simply call upon me, and I shall help you." Green light surrounded Tam, and he found himself back at the entrance to the castle, Mink on his shoulders, and Arctic Fox sitting by his side in a daze.

"What just happened?" Mink asked.

"I dunno," called up a dizzy Arctic Fox.

Not far away, the ground opened up, and a pair of white wolf ears stuck out.

"I'll tell you later," Tam said hastily, walking over to where Leyla was helping Midna out of the hole, all the while ignoring her complaints about traveling in such an 'atrocious' way. "I have a job to do."


	15. Chapter 14: Gift of Fire

Chapter 15: Gift of Fire

"You have done well," Malia said, appearing out of thin air. She pointed off in a new direction. "The next element is Fire."

"I don't have to fight something again, do I?" Leyla complained. Malia raised a ghostly eyebrow at her.

"What this Spirit holds for you, I do not know. You will have to discover that for yourself," Malia answered. She then beckoned for the girls to follow, and began to float in the direction she had been pointing. Leyla let out a sigh, but followed silently otherwise, Midna following behind, scratching at her arm.

After a few moments filled with nothing but walking through the ruins of the town, Leyla asked, "Who is the next Spirit?"

Without turning, Malia responded, "She was a powerful queen, who had defended the kingdom during a great war. Her spirit holds her Fire element, that of a Phoenix." She paused, then continued, "All the spirits, except for the bear, were her allies."

"What was the bear?" Midna asked.

"The Bear was the first king of the Wood-Elves. He was also the first to be able to control an ancient power that only those of royal blood can have."

"What was that?" Leyla asked. She felt like she was back in history class. She and Ilia had asked the most questions, whereas Link and Jav slept through the most of class.

Malia hesitated, then turned towards them, "We are here." She announced, before evaporating.

"Hey, you didn't answer the question!" Midna called out, fists planted on her hips, red eyes glaring at the spot where Malia used to be.

"We can ask later," Leyla assured her friend, "we do have two more to go, after this."

"Yeah, I s'pose." Midna sighed, kicking at the dirt. She then looked up. Pointing, she asked, "So, is that it?"

Leyla followed Midna's finger, and saw what had caught her attention. It was an obsidian statue of an eagle, with fiery wings. Its eyes seemed to be made of black stone, so as to look like burning coals. Leyla walked over to it for a closer look. Around its neck was carving, giving it the appearance of wearing an ornate necklace. In the middle was a small gemstone. A blood red gemstone. Leyla looked up into the Phoenix's fierce eyes and asked of it one request.

"Arise," she whispered.

There was a blinding light, and warmth embraced the area. Leyla blinked until the purple and blue spots had disappeared, then looked up at the statue, which had caught fire. It folded its fiery wings and looked down at her. It appeared to be smiling.

"What is it that you seek, Young One?" the phoenix asked. Her voice was warm and comforting.

"The Stone of Fire," Leyla replied.

The gemstone in the middle of what had become a silver necklace around the phoenix's neck glowed brightly.

The phoenix extended her wings above her head, making her seem ten times bigger. "Once of earth, now in your home. I am prey, I give you heat when eaten. What am I?"

"What?" Leyla asked. A vine of fire spurted from the ground and wrapped itself around her legs.

"Two more tries. Three more riddles," the phoenix said. There seemed to be a devious gleam in her eye. "Fail two more times, and you shall be trapped in stone."

"Not permanently, right?" Leyla questioned.

The gleam seemed to be brighter. "We shall see." The phoenix cleared her throat, and repeated the riddle. "Once of earth, now in your home. I am prey, I give you heat when eaten. What am I?"

Leyla looked back at Midna, but the Twili had taken several steps back, no doubt to get away from the light magic. Leyla looked back at the phoenix. What was she talking about? Leyla looked into the coal-black phoenix's eyes, as though seeking for the answer there.

Coal-like eyes.

"Coal?" Leyla said uncertainly.

"Is that an answer, or a question?" the phoenix asked.

"Coal. For sure, coal." Leyla braced herself.

The phoenix merely nodded. "Two more tries, two more riddles." She cleared her throat again. "Only to a fool do I look precious. Only to a fool, do I make him rich."

"Um…." Leyla groaned. What looks precious to a fool? Well, a shiny pebble, perhaps, but even a fool wouldn't think that would make him rich. Unless he was Jav. What would make him feel rich? The only currency she knew of was Ruppees, and it was hard to mistake anything for a Ruppee. Leyla let out an irritated growl, then gasped. Hadn't Rusl told them something about Ruppees that can make you poor due to a curse? What were they called?

"Time is almost up," the phoenix announced.

"Rupoor!" Leyla blurted. That's what they were called!

The phoenix paused. Leyla felt sweat trickle down the back of her neck, and knew it wasn't from the heat alone. "Correct." The phoenix bowed its head. "2 tries, one more riddle." The phoenix cleared her throat again. "Try to keep up." Leyla couldn't help but hear the challenge in her voice.

"A man was to be sentenced, and the judge told him, 'You may make a statement. If it is true, I'll sentence you to four years in prison. If it is false, I'll sentence you to sixteen years in prison.' After the man made his statement, the judge let him go free. What did the man say?"

Leyla felt herself suddenly feel hopeless. How was she to know that? "He said 'I didn't do it?'" Leyla's breath caught as the fire around her legs became more intense, and climbed up to her stomach.

"Incorrect. One more try, one more riddle," the phoenix said.

"He said… he said…." Leyla looked about her as though the answer was hidden in her surroundings. What would she have said?

"Time is-" the phoenix started.

"He said, 'You will sentence me to sixteen years in prison,'" Leyla announced.

There was a pause, then the fire wrapped around her body died in a puff of smoke, and the phoenix raised her head, letting out a great eagle's caw.

The red gem that had been in her necklace appeared before Leyla, floating in the air. Leyla meekly reached out and grabbed, feeling the warmth from the stone caress her. She tucked it away carefully in her saddle bag.

"Child," the phoenix said, catching Leyla's attention, "the Spirit of Fire needs that stone. Allow me to help you, and your companion," she nodded towards Midna who had come slightly closer to the phoenix, "travel quickly."

"We're not going underground again, are we?" Midna complained.

The phoenix somehow smirked with her beak. "No, not underground. Simply, through fire."

"What?" Midna managed to say right before the phoenix shot them with a column of fire. It didn't hurt. It was uncomfortably hot for Midna, but it didn't hurt. Fire was all they saw, and when it died down, they were near yet another Dark Zone.

Midna took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Well," she muttered, "I guess that one wasn't as bad…."

Leyla shrugged, and started walking towards the Dark Zone. As she walked, she transformed herself into her great, white wolf form. The saddle bag fit her comfortably, even though she didn't quite fill it. Midna followed behind, kicking at the ground as she went. They entered the dense fog, unfazed as it blocked their vision. When they stepped out of the fog, the sky was dark. Every now and then, a flame shot up into the sky several yards ahead of them.

Leyla sniffed at the air. The Spirit was in the direction of the flames, and her scent was amplified each time a flame appeared.

"Well, that's the next Spirit," she said, walking towards her new destination.

"What's with the fire show?" Midna asked. "Is she entertaining monsters or something?"

"I don't know. Why not just kill them, if you can still shoot fire?" Leyla mused.

"It's possible that her powers are too weak to actually do any damage. She could simply be trying to keep them away." Midna said, rubbing her chin as though she were a bearded professor.

"Maybe." Leyla said. "We're not going to find out by sitting here idly, though!" She immediately quickened her pace. Midna dashed to keep up. Their path was mostly clear, here and there, a small house stood, usually in charred ruins. Leyla jumped over a toppled wheel barrow, and part of an old fence that had lined a field once.

"Farms," Leyla murmured, wondering if perhaps, one of these had been her home. She saw several odd objects on her way: a child's doll; an old shovel; bits of rags; broken dishes; and so many burnt pieces of brick or wood or whatever other material was used to create the houses.

Leyla then noticed something that made her stop suddenly, and caused her stomach to lurch.

_Bones._

Bones of children, adults, and pets alike littered the next area. "They… they must have… tried to hide here…." Leyla whispered. She saw several spears and pitch forks strewn about. They had tried defending themselves, too. Midna stood next to Leyla. She put her hand on Leyla's furry shoulder.

"They fought…" Leyla gulped, "they fought, even though they stood no chance. They weren't going to be destroyed without a fight."

"Who would do this?" Midna asked. Her thoughts flickered back to her people, how this fate could easily have been theirs as well.

"Ganondorf would," Leyla said darkly.

"Did he?" Midna asked.

Leyla shook her head, squeezing back tears. "I don't know." She shrugged. She growled at herself, then said, "Come on, let's go."

Midna nodded, and the two dashed off again. Leyla tried to push the bones from her mind, she tried not to think about who they might have been, or if she knew them at one point. She tried not to think of whether or not her parents, her siblings, if she had any, had been victims of that particular carnage.

Leyla looked up to see another flame fly skyward. She was getting closer, but the flames were getting smaller, and weaker. When will they stop altogether? What would happen if they did? Leyla pushed herself harder, not wanting to find out.

It wasn't long before she came to the Spring from which the flames were spurting forth from. Just above the water's surface, a golden light encased a smaller, bright red light, which pulsated. The red light gave off a stronger light, and another flame shot into the sky, and the red light flickered dimly before recovering itself.

"Young One," the voice emanated from the red light, giving off slight warmth, "bring me the Red Stone." Leyla stepped forward, and the stone appeared in front of her, taken from its place in the saddlebags.

There was a blinding flash of light, and when it had gone, before the girls was a tall woman with skin of gold, and hair of fire. Her eyes were pure red, and her clothes were much the same as the Farore's garb, but with a slight red tint at the edges.

"Well done," Din, the Spirit of Fire commented. She stretched, then set off a large column of flame into the sky, which was now a bright blue. "Ah, that feels much better." She said, looking back down at Leyla. "Child, I do believe that I owe you bit of a power upgrade. A fiery one." The spirit grinned, and held out her hand for Leyla.

Leyla took the Spirit's hand, and felt herself be engulfed in flame. It merely tickled, and when the flame was gone, she felt stronger, wiser, and much more powerful. Her hands were enclosed in fiery red gauntlets, which had been etched with swirling flame designs.

"Your Fire form will be much more powerful, as well," the Spirit said. She pointed at the gauntlets. "These will allow you to create fire, and control it, with your hands. It also protects from most burns."

"Most?" Midna asked, just as Leyla was thinking it.

"Yes. Magic fire is what it guards against, anything else will still harm you," the Spirit responded.

"Well, it's much better than the other way around, really," Leyla admitted. Then, her thoughts flew back to the destroyed farmhouse, and the remains of Wood-Elves who had lived there. "Who… who destroyed this place?"

The Spirit looked back at Leyla, thinking. She then answered, "All will be revealed to you in time."

Leyla felt crestfallen, but knew it would be hopeless to argue back.

"My sisters still need your help. I shall send you back to where the Stone of Water is located," the Spirit said.

"Are you going to make us catch fire, again?" Midna asked.

"Yes. My way of transporting you will be safer for the both of you to use, as Leyla's Fire form, even without being trained to be more powerful, is gravely dangerous for anyone. You would end up greatly burned if you attempted to use her new form."

"Oh, that's nice…." Midna muttered under her breath.

"Now, good luck to the two of you! And know that the spirit of the latest queen will not be able to guide in this next area, as it is not within her Spectral Boundaries."

"Spectral Boundaries?" Leyla asked.

"Yes, a spirit, or, ghost, can only travel around the area in which he or she had spent most of their life." The Spirit raised a hand. "Now go! Gather the next Stones, and bring them to my sisters!"

Fire enveloped the girls, and blotted out their vision. When they could see again, they were standing on sand, looking out over a vast body of water.

"Is this the sea?" Leyla asked, breathless. She remembered hearing about such things in stories and in her history class. She loved those stories, especially the ones with pirates in them.

"It's a cat's nightmare," Midna said.

"It's beautiful." Leyla said. The air was salty and cool, and the water was soothing to look out upon. There were odd rocks and shells on the shore, and small crabs waddled about.

Further up the bank, there was a small village. The houses were a pristine white, with dark blue roofs.

"Well," Leyla said, "shall we find out what the next challenge holds for us?"

"For us?" Midna asked, raising an eyebrow. "You mean, find out what it holds for _you_." She poked her friend sharply in the shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Leyla muttered, rubbing the spot that Midna had poked. The two girls then started walking up towards the town to start their search for the next guardian.


	16. Chapter 15: The Guardian of Water

Tam growled. The Phoenix spirit had sprayed him with fire without warning. He didn't freak out, much. He had seen what it did to Leyla and Midna. However, Mink and Arctic Fox were in a whole other library.

"Are we dead?" Arctic Fox whimpered, her paws covering her eyes, her tail tucked underneath her quivering body. She raised a paw and peeked out. "We're on a beach, what looks like a paradise beach. I knew it. We died." She rolled over onto her back and closed her eyes, then let out a loud, keening noise, "Farewell, all you on that weird and cruel world! I die by Fire!"

Mink jumped from Tam's shoulders and bounced off of Arctic Fox's stomach. "Shut up! We're not dead!" He turned to Tam. "Are we?"

Arctic Fox rolled back over and slammed a paw down on Mink's head. "Of course we are, dummy. That hurt, by the way."

"Guys, if we were dead, we wouldn't feel pain," Tam growled.

"Well," Arctic Fox said, sitting up, "I felt pain, so I'm alive."

"I felt a lot of pain, I'm definitely alive," Mink groaned, rubbing his head with webbed paws. Both animals turned towards Tam.

Tam looked down at them, then quickly caught on. "Hey, I'm alive! How would you guys see me if I was dead?"

Arctic Fox squinted at him, then nodded, "Yeah, he's right."

"Can we check just to be sure?" Mink pleaded, obviously wanting to harm Tam a little too much.

"No!" Tam bellowed. He looked around the beach. "Help me find the girls," he added.

The animals reluctantly dropped the subject and began to look about the beach as well. It was Mink who spoke up after a few minutes. "Hey, is that them?" He pointed off into the distance, whereTam could clearly make out Leyla and Midna making their way towards what looked like a village made of giant, blue sea shells.

"Yeah, that's them!" Tam said, starting off at a sprint. Arctic Fox scooped up Mink in her mouth and chased after him, kicking up clouds of sand. Small crabs scuttled out of their way, clicking their little claws at them as they passed by.

It didn't take long for the trio to catch up. Tam stopped first, and held out an arm, signaling for Arctic Fox to stop. However, Arctic Fox ran past him, noticed his absence, turned around, and ran back to him, before she stopped. Tam sighed and silently thanked the goddesses that the girls could neither see, nor hear them. They had stopped just at the edge of the village. The girls were in plain sight, and were examining a statue of a serpentine, wingless dragon. The statue had a playful twist to it; quite literally. Its body twisted around, and, even from where Tam was standing, look like it had a mischievous, yet friendly smile on its face.

"Now what?" Arctic Fox asked through a mouth-full of Mink.

"Now, we wait and watch for trouble," Tam answered. He sat down. The sand here was much thinner, and gave way to much more solid earth further into the village. However, the little fine, sand that he was sitting on was soft enough to sit on for hours on end.

AAAA

Leyla walked around the statue. She could see the bright, blue gem, clutched in one of the dragon's massive claws. However, nothing was coming to her, no message, no secret, nothing. Midna had taken a seat on a nearby bench, kicking her foot impatiently. She called over just as Leyla was about to circle around again, "Maybe there's a button?"

Leyla rolled her eyes. "You already said that!" she growled quietly to herself. At first, Leyla had thought the idea of a button rather ridiculous, but after having felt nothing for several minutes, she had considered looking for one.

Midna hopped up off the bench and walked over to the statue. She leaned forward, and began to stare intently at it. "What are you doing?" Leyla questioned, annoyed.

"Maybe one of the scales is raised slightly higher than all the rest," Midna said. Leyla stared at Midna in incredulous disbelief. Midna caught this in the corner of her eye. "Do you have a better idea?"

Leyla growled again, much louder this time, and spun away. She spun right back, however. "Maybe I can just grab the thing." Leyla reached for the gem, but as soon as her hand made contact with the dragon's smooth, stone claws, the whole statue glowed a bright variety of blue hues, and the colors seemed to wash over the dragon as though it were under water. Leyla and Midna both jumped back and let out cries of surprise.

The dragon began to shift and twist. It then uncurled itself, revealing its full height, and stretched out its arms the way a human does after waking from a fulfilling sleep. It looked down at the two girls, and smiled, its stone teeth sharp and numerous. It bent down until its head was level with Leyla's, and spoke with the voice of a mischievous, young woman, "Good mornin', young ones!"The dragon smiled even wider. "So, apparently you're after this little piece of treasure, aye?" The dragon held up the sapphire between two talons. She laughed, and tossed it into the air, caught it, and held it tight.

"Uh, y-yes…" Leyla responded, taken aback by the Guardians lack of formality so far.

"What?" the dragon asked, bending its head down and holding a paw up as though trying to direct sound into its nonexistent ear, "Didn't quite catch that, you need to speak up, kid."

"Yes!" Leyla nearly yelled. She felt her cheeks go red. This dragon was treating her the way an obnoxious older sister treats the younger sibling!

The dragon stretched out to almost full height again, keeping some her eyes locked onto Leyla's. The dragon took on a slightly more serious, yet somehow so much more mischievous, tone. "All right, then." She lifted her tail and pointed towards the water with it. "Let us begin." She jumped into the air and twisted around. She got onto almost all fours, holding up the one paw that held the gem, and with one leap, dived into the water. Midna and Leyla jogged down to the shore, which was a slight ways away from the village. The dragon's stony head emerge from the water. "Come on in!" It then dived down, its body curling above the water before vanishing below.

Leyla transformed. Her form became aquatic, and equine. Her body was covered in sleek scales, and her tail was a giant flipper. She had fins protruding from her sides, as well. Leyla jumped into the water, and her rear legs disappeared, making her fin even larger.

"Oh, a Zora Horse," the dragon said, looking Leyla up and down. "Don't see many of those anymore. At least, not on their own." The dragon then snapped a finger, and before Leyla, walls of ice appeared, twisting and turning. "So," the dragon said, swimming to position herself above the ice structure, "for you, I have a little maze. Find your way to the middle, that's where the gem is." The dragon swam down and around the maze. "It has a lid, so you can't just go up and around to see everything. Although, even if you could, it wouldn't do you much good, there are a few 'floors' on this thing." The dragon swam back above the structure, and said, "Good luck!"

Leyla swam forward, entering the maze. After her tail had followed her in, a thick sheet of ice blocked the way out. Leyla panicked, and kicked at it with her forelegs. The ice didn't even chip. Leyla smacked it with her tail, then regretted it as the ice left a burning cold sensation on her scales. She snorted bubbles through her nose, then continued on through the maze. All she had to do was get to the middle, right?

"Oh, and you have until about, say, midday," the dragon said through the ice, "which is about three hours from now."

Leyla blew even more bubbles from her nose. She just hoped this maze would be simple.

AAAA

"Well," Arctic Fox said, sitting down at the edge of the water, "now what?"

"Watch her, duh," Mink said, rolling his eyes.

"How?" Arctic Fox demanded. "Grow gills? Tam can't breathe under water like you!"

"I can't breathe underwater, either!" Mink fumed. "I hold my breath!"

"Shut up, both of you!" Tam said, catching both of them on the head with a smack. "Look, there is nothing we can do here, except wait." Tam looked out over the water. "Patiently…" he added.

The three sat in silence for a few seconds, then Mink piped up, "This is so boring!" as loud as he could. Arctic Fox rolled her eyes, refrained from slapping him upside the head by messing with the black patch of fur on her head, growling all the while.

A few more seconds past, and Mink spoke again, "I'm bored!" Arctic Fox growled even louder, and messed with the patch of fur on her head even more.

The next time Mink announced his boredom, Tam grabbed the semi-aquatic weasel, pulled off one of his bearskin boots, and shoved Mink inside. After that, Mink stopped talking. He did, however, pout, and would emit a low growl every now and then. Sometimes, he pretended to sniffle.

"Arctic Fox," Tam said quietly, "stop messing with your head, or you'll end up bald."

AAAA

Leyla growled a little as she ran into yet another dead end. She retraced her path, and picked a different route, all the while growing more and more frantic. This maze seemed to be nothing but dead ends, and each time Leyla ran into one, it became harder and harder to squash down her ever growing fear.

Another dead end turned out to be the final straw. Leyla growled, and felt salty tears sting at her eyes. She tried to blink them away, but they wouldn't stop. Not only was she going to fail, but she was going to die here, most likely. She had no way of escape, and even if the entrance hadn't been closed off, she had made so many twists and turns that she wouldn't be able to remember how to get out.

The dragon's voice entered her head, "Would you like me to go over the rules, again?"

Leyla felt furious. Here she was, breaking down, probably in her grave, and the dragon wanted to review the rules? "Sure," Leyla muttered sarcastically.

"You can't look at the map from above." Silence.

That was it? How was Leyla even supposed to look at the maze from above? The dragon herself said that the maze had a lid so that she couldn't look at the top! Leyla squeezed her eyes shut, and regretted it. It felt as though the cold walls were closing in on her. Without thinking, Leyla lashed out, her foreleg leaving a dent in the wall. Leyla opened her eyes and gasped. Was she going to get in trouble? But the only rule the dragon said was to not look at the map from above, however redundant that was. Leyla lightly scraped at the dent on the wall, and a few pieces of ice fell away and floated up to the ceiling. Leyla huffed, then struck out at the ceiling, just as hard as she had done at the wall.

She heard a loud pop, but it came from her joints. The ceiling was left unscathed.

"So, no escaping," Leyla muttered, recalling having had the same experience with the door earlier. How long ago was that? An hour? Two? Either way time was running out, and she needed to move. Leyla turned back to the dented wall, and struck at it with both of her forelegs. The wall fell away, revealing another passage. Leyla swam through the wall she had made, then proceeded to break through the next one.

Perhaps this was going to be much simpler than she thought. She continued to bash through the walls, each time she did so, she felt as though she was getting closer to her goal. She prepared herself for the next wall of ice, and rammed into it, and bounced off.

Leyla shook her head. Everything was spinning. Leyla placed her hooves on the ground, but everything still felt as though it were spinning. Then, she felt something in her gills. Leyla tried to shake whatever it was out, but it was stuck. She felt her air supply begin to dwindle. She shook her whole body, trying to get whatever it was out of her gills, then stopped when she smelt something warm. A small tendril of red liquid floated about in the water. She didn't have anything in her gills, well, not anymore at least, but her gills were bleeding, and that was just as bad.

Leyla considered transforming, just a for a second, to heal herself, but then, the wound would be on her neck, it she would most likely die from it right away. Leyla felt panic rising ever faster as the blood continued to flow from her gills. Leyla swam back over to the wall she had hit, which was shaped like a sphere. The gem had to be in there! She needed to find a way in!

Leyla's vision suddenly went darker, and spots appeared in her eyes. She tried to blink them away, but they resisted. Leyla rested a fin on the wall, and began to slowly circle it, feeling for a way in. As she swam, she felt her strength begin to rapidly fade, and her vision became darker.

Then, she felt it. A small opening, barely big enough for her to fit through. Leyla poked her head in, and saw the gem, resting on a raised platform, in an air pocket. Leyla squeezed her way in, her flipper working as hard as it could with the loss of blood. She managed to reach the end of the small tunnel. Using her fore legs, she pulled herself out, and clambered up the raised platform. Her rear legs reappeared as soon as the water level was lower than her knees, and she slipped and stumbled her way over to the gem. Leyla placed a hoof on it, then closed her eyes. She hardly noticed a thing when she glowed bright blue, then appeared back on the shore, next to Midna.

Midna panicked when she saw the blood leaking from Leyla's right gill, and her panic only added to Leyla's own. The dragon appeared, and, without a word, touched Leyla's gill. Leyla felt a strong sensation of warmth, then cold, and she could tell the bleeding had stopped. Her vision cleared, and everything stopped spinning. She looked up at the dragon, opened her mouth to speak, then fell limp on the sand, her breath heavy.

"You have done well, young one," the dragon said soothingly. She took the stone and placed it in front of Leyla. "When you have rested, I will help you reach the next Spirit in time."

Leyla nodded, and closed her eyes. Sleep would be very welcome right now. Leyla unconsciously transformed into her white wolf form, curled up and sleepy. Her joints ached, and her muscles were sore.

AAAA

Tam crept closer. Leyla seemed to be all right, aside from being exhausted. "Blue does not go with red, just saying," Arctic Fox said, rather loudly.

"Arctic Fox, she's all blue. There is no re-." Tam choked on that last word when he saw the red blood leaking from one of her gills. "Oh, that's bad. Oh, that is so, very, terribly bad!" Tam scrambled up, but tripped when a voice entered his head.

"Calm yourself. She will be fine. I have closed the wound. What you see now is simply her gills cleaning themselves."

"With _blood_?" Tam thought back.

"No. Zora Horses always have extra water within their bodies, and they secrete it through their gills to clean them. Watch," Leyla let out a large breath, and her gills opened up. The blood began to run thin, and then, all that was coming out was foamy water, tinted with red.

Tam sighed in relief. He wasn't sure of what the Dream-Lady could do to him, but he didn't want to find out by failing to keep Leyla alive. He watched as Leyla then transformed into her white wolf form. The dragon spoke to them, physically, while speaking to Tam, mentally; "Rest for the night. There are plenty of houses here, abandoned for years. I am sure their previous owners would not mind allowing you to rest inside." Midna then prodded Leyla awake, and the two traveled to the nearest house. Leyla's legs were shaky, and a couple of times she stumbled, but Midna was there to help her back up, however awkwardly.

Mink clambered up Tam's shoulder and asked, "What did it say?"

Tam answered, "It's bed time." At last! He was getting tired! Oh, so tired!

"But I'm not tired!" Mink yawned.

"Dum dums," Arctic Fox muttered, then said with more snark, "If you're going to say you ain't tired, time it right so that you don't yawn when you say it."

"I did!" Mink retorted, "the yawn just didn't listen to the plan!"

"Yawns don't have brains! Like someone else here!"

"How dare you!" Mink shook a fist, then patted Tam's head, "Just because Tam is stupid doesn't mean that he has no brain."

"Shut up!" Tam shouted, just as Arctic Fox had opened her mouth. "We're all tired and cranky. So please, let's just find a place to sleep."

Tam then proceeded to find a house that would allow him to see when Leyla left the house she choice. The house he ended up in had a deep purple and blue roof and a sandy yellow paint job on the outside. On the door, there was a sign asking that there be no solicitors, writing in a flowing script. Tam opened the door. The inside was filled with fancy furniture. Large, cushioned chairs, a sofa for two, an ornately carved table and desk. In the corner was a small basket, filled with blankets. Circular windows let in the fading, orange and red light, giving the bright wood in the room a warm glow.

Tam looked to his left, where a door hung slightly ajar. He opened it, and inside was a small bedroom. The bed was covered in blue blankets, and the curtains were a deep purple. Another desk, simpler than the one out in the living room, sat under the window. Tam felt his heart quiver as he saw that there were few letters addressed to "my Love" strewn about the table, as well as letter that had been started, but never finished. A long slash of ink ran across the paper, as though whoever this had been had left in a great hurry.

Tam pushed this from his mind and climbed into the bed. Artic Fox trotted out of the room, loudly proclaiming that she called dibs on the basket. Mink growled back, saying that he wanted the window sill, anyways.

Tam sighed, his eyelids growing heavy as he adjusted the blankets. One of these days, those two were going to get along, even if it killed him. Well, maybe not that far….


	17. Chapter 16: From the Dark

She walked up the rubble that had once been a small cottage. It was pathetic, really; the Shade could hardly stand up to a simple Light Blast? Absolutely pathetic. She gathered up a vast amount of her own Dark Magic, and then went about collecting the few scraps she could find of him. After a few minutes, she decided that she had enough. She then ordered those few scraps to reconstruct the being that they had belonged to before. A few seconds passed, and Dark Link stood before her, surprise and confusion on his face. He looked her up and down, then his eyes widened, merely red holes on his face.

"He made you, too?" he asked, his voice rasping.

She smiled. She looked exactly like Leyla, her height, her features, everything, except for her coloring. In that regard, she looked like Dark Link. Ganondorf had made her in secret, as a fail-safe. Well, this idiot had failed, and now she had to save his sorry behind. She gestured for him to follow, and then conjured herself a mount.

The mount was a dark horse, bonier than a stick, yet still comfortable transportation. It was fast, and strong, despite its sickly-looking appearance. She telepathically ordered it to move, and it leaped into the air, soaring through the clouds without the aid of wings. Behind her, Dark Link had also conjured a mount, though, not quite as fast as her own. He called out to her, "What do I call you?"

She laughed, an evil laugh, the one a killer lets out before blood is shed. "I am a Shade of the little golden-haired girl, Leyla. However, you are to call me Master." She then sped up her mount, leaving him behind.

AAA

It didn't take long to reach their destination: a small, ocean-side village with houses made to look like shells. The Shade of Leyla hid in the shadows, and Dark Link did the same. She watched as the Wood-Elf and her friend went to find a place to rest. She could easily kill them both, right now, but where was the fun in that? Let them believe that everything was a cake walk. Besides, the more the girl amplified her powers, the more she amplified her weaknesses, as well. Leyla was insuring her own demise! The Shade smiled; she truly did look forward to playing around with Leyla, especially seeing as a slow, painful death seemed to be the best way to kill her.

Dark Link let out an impatient sigh. Shadow Leyla rolled her eyes. The idiot had severed his emotional ties to Link too late; the buffoon had developed feelings for her? What good were feelings? Aside from the excitement one gets while ripping out their adversaries throat, they were completely pointless.

She stiffened; someone else was there. She searched about, her red eyes glowing intensely. She couldn't see anyone, but she knew she felt someone. She hunched her shoulders. Perhaps it was a disembodied spirit. This place was full of death. She growled and forced herself to relax her shoulders, she was not scared! At all!

She turned to Dark Link. "Wait outside the town, keep to the shadows," she ordered.

Dark Link opened his mouth in protest, but one look sent him running. Shadow Leyla then jumped up and landed on top of the roof of the hose she had been hiding against. Night had pulled its beautiful shroud over everything, and was feeding her its power. She smiled, then looked about herself. She looked like nothing more than a shadow, which wasn't very frightening. People see shadows every day, and are hardly ever scared of them. She looked up into the sky. The moon was suddenly revealed, and it splashed its silver light down upon her. Shadow Leyla had an idea. She stood up, and wrapped herself in Dark Energy. When it was gone, her skin was a pale gray, and her hair the silver of the moon. Her eyes were still red, but she had irises and pupils now.

Her clothes had changed, as well. She now had trousers and a ripped tank top. Her outfit still resembled the Wood-Elf's, but that couldn't be helped. She may have severed her ties early, but that doesn't mean that a few small things couldn't have slipped through. Preference in clothing styles, for instance.

Nonetheless, it still annoyed her, greatly. She tried changing it a few times, but only managed to change the cut of the shirt and style of the pants, as well as slight alterations to the type of boots. She sighed, and gave up. It didn't matter. She did, however, take the gloves off. It was far more fun to use your bare hands, after all. She sat down and waited for morning to come. If the girl had any more problems, she was going to help the Wood-Elf obtain all the power in the world just so that she could fight her!

The Shade sighed in anticipation. The sun wasn't rising fast enough! She growled. As soon as she had control of this world, she would have the sun come at her beck and call, and only at her beck and call. Of course, once she was in control, there would be no need for the sun….

"You dare make plans of your own?" The Shade managed to keep herself from uttering any noise of surprise. The sudden intrusion into her mind hurt, and her master continued, "Remember who created you, and who can easily reverse that."

"I've done nothing," she hissed back, careful to keep her voice low. "Any 'plans' you read off me were merely fantasies which I know will never be true."

"Nonetheless, you have been warned. Keep your fantasies under control." Her master then left her mind, and in his place a rather annoying headache bloomed into existence.

The Shade growled and put a hand to her head. A well-directed spark of Shadow Magic, and it was gone. Too bad the same couldn't be done to her master; it would certainly make her "fantasies" come to reality much quicker.

AAA

Dark Link sat at the gate that marked the entrance to the abandoned village. He then proceeded to sort out his thoughts. He liked Leyla. No, incorrect. Link likes Leyla, Dark Link hates Leyla. No, Dark Link has feelings for her, and that is that. What sort of feelings can be found out later. He knew that he truly did wish that Link died a slow and painful death, and that he would administer it. Unfortunately that was not his task. Shadow Leyla was lucky; her task practically sang for her to kill Leyla. Dark Link had come to find that most Shades ended up wanted to brutally murder the ones of whom they were copies of, and he was no exception.

Shadow Leyla was only a little different in that respect; where other Shades would rather simply kill their original and be done with it, she wanted a nice, strung out fight so that she could play with her prey. Unfortunately for her, her task called for her to grant Leyla a swift death so that she could continue her other jobs as well. It didn't matter how powerful the Wood-Elf got, she had to die, and she had to die before too long.

"Keep an eye on your accomplice," his master's voice roared in his head, interrupting his thoughts, "she must not be trusted." The voice then left abruptly, leaving in its place a dull headache.

Dark Link growled. As if he would ever trust that conniving viper! The woman was bossier than his master, and had an ever present thirst for blood, the likes of which he had never seen nor heard of before; not even the craziest of murderous psychopaths could come anywhere near her twisted mind!

Dark Link growled again. Farore, headaches were for humans, not Shades! He shifted his sitting position and proceeded to wait it out; it would be gone before morning, he knew that much.

A sudden blow to his head made him cry out, and a hand to his mouth muffled that cry.

"Shut up!" Shadow Leyla hissed in his ear. "Someone else is here. I can't see them, I can't even sense them, but they are there." She then grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him up, making him stand. "We should move, there's a forested area over there, we can keep watch from it." She then headed for the distant trees. Dark Link kept himself from rolling his eyes -she might have eyes on the back of her head- and followed her. Hiding in the trees because she thought there was somebody there; somebody whom she could neither sense nor see?

Shadow Leyla suddenly turned towards him and glared, then gestured for him to hurry. He jogged up to her, but did not pass her. It was then that he noticed that she looked different. Her skin was pale, her hair was silver, and her eyes had whites rather than being all red. Even her clothes were different. Could he do that too? It would be much better than looking like a literal shadow of Link with red eyes. He opened his mouth to ask her how she was able to change her appearance, thought better of it, and shut his mouth again. If she could do it without anyone to instruct, so could he. As long as his assumption was correct, and she did indeed do it on her own.

When they had reached the trees, Shadow Leyla sprang up into one like a cat. She silently, yet swiftly, climbed up into the tree until she had found a sturdy branch that also had a view of the village, she settled down, crouching like a panther waiting for prey.

Dark Link found a different tree and climbed up into it. He climbed to the highest branch that could support him and waited. He had no doubts that Shadow Leyla would keep the best watch, as it was her original that they were following, and she wasn't going to let Leyla slip out from her fingers anytime soon. As it was, she already had the Wood-Elf firmly in her grasp, dancing to the tune she had set.

He wondered how long it would be before Leyla realized that something was going on. Not very long, he wagered. From the memories he had from Link, Leyla would often be suspicious of things that were too easy. Of course, he also knew that Leyla's sense of suspicion could be overridden by her sense of wonder and excitement, and being in your birth place after several years could certainly do that to you.

Dark Link stood up on the branch and leaned against the tree. This was going to be a long night.


	18. Chapter 17: An Unexpected Side-Trip

Leyla sat up in the bed. The sun shone through the window, painting the small room in a golden light. She sighed, and then swung her feet off the bed, tossing the blankets to the side. She remade the bed, and exited the room. In the family room, Midna was sitting in one of the chairs. She looked up at Leyla, and grimaced as her stomach growled.

"Do we have any food?" the Twilight Princess complained.

"I packed some," Leyla nodded. She then went back into the bedroom to retrieve the saddle bags. She opened the one opposite the bag containing the boys, and pulled out a few slices of bread and half a ring of goat cheese.

"No meat?" Midna asked, slipping off the chair to take a look.

"No, otherwise it would have spoiled," Leyla answered. "Would've been nice to have, though," she added wistfully.

"So, we only have bread and cheese?" Midna asked, raising an eyebrow at Leyla.

"Well, for now, yeah." Leyla gathered the food and took them to a small, wooden table. She set the food and the saddle bags down and began to search through the cupboards for dishes that they could use. Midna sat down at the table and poked at the cheese. It had become rather soft after having been inside a bag, and heated by the sun, for a couple of days.

"Why didn't we get anything from Zelda before left?" she muttered, then rested her head on her folded arms, almost lying on the table. "Hey, why didn't we eat before? I've been hungry for a while!" She suddenly sat up. Leyla had found a couple of plates and was returning to the table.

Leyla set a plate down in front of Midna. "I don't know. I suppose, with all of the excitement, we just weren't very hungry." Leyla's stomach then grumbled rather loudly.

The girls sat down to eat their meal, neither of the speaking until the last crumb had disappeared. When they had finished, Leyla cleaned off the plates and put them back where she had found them, as though expecting the owner to return, and Midna cleaned off the table, despite it already being nearly spotless.

The two girls then left the house, and started off.

AAA

Mink yawned, his head nearly popping in two. He stretched his long, furry body, then sat down, glancing out the window, just in time to see Leyla and Midna step out of the house they had stayed in for the night. He let out a squawk, and hopped off the window sill, running over to the basket that held Arctic Fox.

"Sis! They're leaving!" Mink called out, poking the white fox's fluffy cheek.

Arctic Fox growled as she stretched. "How many times have I told you?" She snapped her teeth at him, "I AM NOT YOUR SISTER!" She sat down in the basket, then prepared to curl up and go back to sleep.

"But, Leyla and Mid… Mid… The other one are leaving!" Mink panicked, poking her in the cheek again.

Arctic Fox sat up straight and glared at him. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" she snarled. They both looked at Tam, who was asleep at the opposite end of the room, their loud argument apparently not enough to awaken him today. Arctic Fox looked at Mink, an odd light in her eyes, then pushed him away, bounding for Tam. By the time Mink had been able to sit back up again, Arctic Fox was already standing on Tam's chest.

"Tam! Get up! They're leaving!" she yelled.

Tam groggily looked at her and grumbled. Then, what she had said finally registered in his head. He shot out of the bed, grabbing holding of Arctic Fox so that she wouldn't go flying. He pulled on his bear skin boots, grabbed Mink, and rushed out the door. The two girls were already at the statue of the Water Dragon, which was conversing with them.

Mink loosed himself from Tam's grasp, landed on the ground with a soft thud, then clambered up to the tall boy's shoulders, settling in and digging his claws into Tam's thick, bear-skin shirt. Arctic Fox had already been released, and was trotting behind Tam, her tongue lolling out as it always did when she ran. Tam stopped a ways away from the girls. He looked as if he was listening to something. Mink strained his own ears, but aside from the water and Arctic Fox's panting, he couldn't hear much of anything. Suddenly, Tam grabbed Artic Fox, and a blue light enveloped them all. Mink felt as though he were floating through water. The sensation ended as quickly as it had started, leaving Mink a little breathless. Why couldn't the Guardians warn them before they transported them? Unless, that was what Tam was listening to; a warning. Then why couldn't Tam warn them?

Mink then realized that it was cold. Very cold. In fact, snow was falling from a very cloudy sky. Arctic Fox let out a small sigh, but said nothing. She didn't mind the cold. Mink then spotted Leyla and Midna, not very far away from them, their most definite mode of travel being Freaky Guardian Magic. Mink shivered, and not just because of the cold.

AAA

Leyla gasped as cold air suddenly invaded her lungs. Midna had drawn her cape-like cloak around herself, while Leyla barely had any protection from the cold. Leyla rubbed her arms, the fiery gauntlets from the Spirit of Fire providing some heat. "Let's go," Leyla said as soon as she could control her chattering teeth.

As Midna passed her by, the Twili poked Leyla in the head, asking, "Why not transform into that fire thingy?" and accompanied it with a look that told Leyla she was the stupidest person in Hyrule.

Leyla refrained from smacking herself in the face and returning Midna's look, and transformed. Warmth bloomed from inside of her, and radiated out. The snow melted from her hooves, and steam rose where falling flakes had melted before they were even able to touch her. Leyla then swished her fiery tail, and looked upwards.

Just a small ways above them was what appeared to be a village, set on a large outcropping in the mountainside. Leyla and Midna slowly made their way up, Midna walking as close as she could to Leyla without getting herself burned. A large, sudden gust of wind swirled Leyla's flames about her, and nearly extinguished them. Leyla found herself gasping when the flames came back, and started wondering what would happen if her flames were to go out.

Brushing the somewhat grim thought aside, Leyla continued up the mountain, a little faster now, trying to get up to buildings before another gust of wind came.

"So," Midna said as they entered the town, "where do you think this Spirit will be?"

Leyla looked around at the houses, which had shingles missing from roofs, if they had a roof left at all. Several houses seemed to have been caved in due to too much snow. Others were missing doors, and nearly all of the houses had broken glass in place of windows. She didn't see, nor feel, any sign of Darkness.

"I don't know," Leyla answered, still scanning the area. She felt as though someone were watching her. She shuddered and hunched her shoulders-as much as an equine can hunch its shoulders- and continued on, searching for anything like a town square, somewhere where they could gather their bearings. Very little time passed before she and Midna stumbled upon one.

The clearing was a small ring of houses, offering room enough for all the residents in the village to bustle around in with very little elbow-room. In the middle, there was what looked like a large fountain, which had obviously not spouted any water for years past. It was of simple design, for the most part, but it was huge, even if it only had three layers, all shaped like disks. Each disk had intricate carvings on them, carvings of blessing and hope, as far as Leyla could tell. On the topmost layer, however, there was a statue of a rearing, winged horse. As Leyla came around to the front, she noticed that the horse had a sharp horn protruding from its forehead, as well.

"Impressive craftsmanship," Midna commented, honest incredulity in her voice as well as her face.

"Yeah." Leyla replied. "That's an… Alicorn, I think is what they were called." She frowned. How had she known that? She had never heard of, or seen, such a creature.

"It's got something shiny in its necklace thingy." Midna stated, pointing at the Alicorn's stony chest. Leyla squinted her eyes, trying to see what Midna saw through the falling snow. It didn't take much to see the bright glint of a diamond, however.

"This must be another Guardian." Leyla said, stepping closer to the fountain. She transformed again, into a gryphon. She sighed at the loss of warmth, even though her thick fur still held in more heat than her skin alone could, and flapped once. Immediately, she was borne on the wind; and had to fight against a suddenly strong gust to get close to the statue. She grabbed one of the Alicorn's legs and held on tightly, waiting for the gust to pass. Which, it didn't.

Leyla let out a gasp of surprise as the leg she was holding onto stomped. Leyla was then flung into the air, a bump forming on her head. She managed to twist herself to avoid crushing her wings right before landing. The stone Alicorn let out a ferocious whinny, and flapped its own wings, before descending down to the snowy ground. It walked right up to Leyla, its face carved with fierceness in its eyes. Leyla sat up on her hind legs, but even then, she didn't even come up to the equine's chin.

The Alicorn glared down at Leyla and bellowed, "Name yourself, intruder."

Leyla gulped, and looked around for Midna. When she spotted her, she sighed in relief; Midna had taken shelter behind what used to be a wall of a house, trying to get something between her and the Light that was emanating from the Alicorn.

"I-I am Leyla," the brown gryphon squeaked.

"Leyla," the Alicorn snorted in her face, warm steam making her blink. The Alicorn looked her up and down, and then stared intently into her eyes. "You know what you are, but not who," he muttered, his voice too deep for him to keep his words to himself.

"Uh, yeah, pretty much," Leyla said, somewhat awkwardly.

"You come for the gem of air," he added, louder this time.

"Yes, sir," Leyla nodded.

"You have already collected three, and save three Spirit's from the Darkness."

"Yes, sir." Leyla found herself hoping that she wouldn't have to go through another trial.

The Alicorn took a step back and straightened himself; Leyla could have sworn he was doing it just to show off his size. "You must complete my trial if you wish to obtain the Stone of Air," he announced.

Leyla heaved a sigh, and hoped that the Alicorn hadn't noticed it. "All right, what's this trial going to be?"

The Alicorn snorted. "Your enthusiasm is extremely overwhelming." Leyla could almost see his stony eyes rolling. He then flapped his wings, and shot up into the air. He called down to Leyla, saying, "Your task is to beat me to the mountain top. You get ten seconds head start."

"Shouldn't be too bad," Leyla told herself, jumping up into the air. She knew it wasn't true, and that there was going to be some sort of twist as soon as the ten seconds were up.

Leyla tried to put all of her effort into flying fast during those first few seconds, her wings beating furiously against the wind. Suddenly, she tottered, and had to regain balance before she could speed up again. As she soon as she was racing through the air, she noticed what had caused her to fumble; the Alicorn. He sped up in front of her, then waited for… what?

Leyla pushed herself harder, her talons stretched out in front of her, slicing through the wind as best as she could. When she was close enough to brush wingtips with the Alicorn, he sped away again, causing another gust of wind to spin her off track, racing closer to the top of the mountain. Leyla growled, and flew harder. The Alicorn was waiting for her again, taunting her no doubt. The Alicorn turned from her, prepare to dash off through the sky again. Leyla ducked beneath him and sped up as much as she could. The Alicorn was right above her, and the mountain top was getting closer.

Leyla reached up and grabbed the Alicorn's leg as it prepared to let out another burst of speed. The wind threatened to rip her off, but the she held fast, her claws digging into the statue's stony leg. The Alicorn kicked at her, and then flung his leg, throwing her off. Leyla soared through the air, the force of the Alicorn's kick bringing her closer to the mountain top than her own wings could. When she felt herself start to slow, Leyla flapped her wings, trying to maintain the speed.

Leyla's wings couldn't pick up the right beat to maintain the pace, and she threw herself off balance. Leyla landed on the rocky mountain side, several meters from the top. Leyla looked up to see the Alicorn, now in the distance, speeding up again. Leyla then shook herself, and began climbing the mountain, jumping form rock to rock, using her wings only when there were no sufficient footholds. When she was only a few feet from the top, Leyla hopped up, opened her wings, and landed at the top, just as the Alicorn landed in front of her.

"A valiant effort," the Alicorn said, nodding his head in acknowledgment. "However, you are a weak flyer. A _hummingbird_ could have beaten you, easily! You definitely don't have the wings for gust weather flying, either."

Leyla's wings sagged at the Alicorn's criticisms. Did this mean that she did not make it? Did she fail?

"However," the Alicorn grumbled, somewhat irritated, "in these times, I cannot afford to choose heroes, and we need the Spirits to be strong." He turned back to her. "You were smart, though. You remembered how I flung you forward earlier, rather than back. You used my reflex as an advantage. If you can pick apart your enemies like that, you have a chance at survival."

_A chance?_ Leyla thought, _what, was he a general in a past life? _Leyla transformed into her true form, and shivering, gave the Alicorn a smile. "Thanks," she said, trying her best to not sound offended.

The Alicorn nodded again, "I will give you Stone, and you will heal the Spirit. I will also give you stronger wings." The Alicorn began to emit a soft glow, and the gem that had been stuck into his chest disappeared. It reappeared before Leyla, who took it from the air quickly. It was warm to the touch, and filled her with a comforting heat. She placed it in her saddle bag, and even though she was no longer holding it, the warmth it had given her remained, as though its presence were enough.

"Now, receive the power of air." The Alicorn opened its own wings. Leyla felt the warmth she had gotten from the gem grow as she was enveloped in a white light.

When the light had faded, Leyla twisted herself around to get a look at her new body. She was a large, sleek, black gryphon. On both of her shoulders was a white mark that resembled wings. She felt much more powerful than she had in her previous gryphon form, and a lot warmer, to boot.

She then remembered her original reason for coming to the mountain. "I need to find two more Spirits. Do you know where they are?"

The Alicorn nodded, "Yes, they are near each other. In this area, in fact. It is odd, though, the Spirit of Water is much closer than it should be." The stone equine shuddered, as though trying to rid himself of something that was crawling on his back. "I can take you and your friend to as close as I can to them," he offered.

"Yes, please." Leyla answered gratefully. A strong gust of wind carried snow all around Leyla, and when the wind died down, Leyla was next to Midna, and both of the girls were on a rather untamed-looking side of the mountain.

Midna pointed ahead of them, "There's Darkness over there, I can feel it."

"Let's go, then." Leyla said. She stretched out like a cat, her talons leaving long marks in the rock beneath the snow. She waited for Midna to mount before surging forward, spraying snow in all directions.

Within a few feet of the Darkness, Leyla stopped. She looked around her, sniffing at the air. Something, odd, was lingering in it, and it was hard to tell if whoever or whatever it was would turn out to be friend or foe. Or, even a mountain goat who stepped in something.

"What's up?" Midna asked, searching for whatever Leyla was looking for.

Leyla sniffed the air again, and then grimaced. "Nothing, I suppose," she muttered, then turned back towards the Darkness.


	19. Chapter 18: In Time

Leyla let out a sigh as she stared up at the foggy wall of Darkness. She reluctantly walked, her long cat-like tail twitching back and forth. A few feet into the Darkness, and she changed, becoming a wolf against her will once more. Midna took the liberty of sitting side-saddle cross-legged on Leyla's back, somehow maintaining perfect balance without even trying, that Leyla could feel.

"Mush," Midna demanded, pointing to where both girls could feel Light emanating.

"Arf, arf," Leyla replied sarcastically before jump-starting into a trot. The terrain was even rockier inside the Darkness, and several times Leyla had to slow down to avoid slipping on a particularly rocky area. Shrubbery armed with claws and thorns reached for her, and she narrowly evaded their desperate grasps, escaping with only a few minor scratches.

"I keep expecting something to pop out at us," Midna said as time went on.

Leyla silently agreed as she hopped over a small gap between two boulders along her path. The area was perfect for aerial assault, and any native animal could be twisted into a weapon used to bring advantage to their enemies.

Leyla shuddered at the thought of a demonic mountain goat getting and holding the upper hand over her in a battle. That would be bloody.

"Hey, you're gonna pass it, dummy!" Midna pulled back on Leyla's ears as though they were reins, causing Leyla's skin to stretch uncomfortably on her face, as well as exposing many sharp teeth that she thought of using.

Leyla turned and directed herself towards the Spirit's Spring, which was surrounded by several odd looking creatures.

"Midna, can you tell what the he-?" Leyla was cut off as one of those things reared its large, lizard-like head. The rest of the Draktar stood, unfolding giant wings.

"The Wood-Elf approaches," the first Draktar hissed. Its posse hissed in response, baring fangs and flexing large claws.

"Great, just what we needed," Midna muttered, "more of these numbskulls."

Leyla lowered her head, teeth bared. She let out a vicious growl, but that only made the Draktar laugh.

"She thinks she's a scary beast!" The winged creature let out one of its own growls, a blood-curdling sound. "Allow me to show you what true ferocity is!" It then lunged itself towards her. Leyla jumped to the side, causing Midna to fall off in the process. She then leapt for the Draktar, her eyes locked on its throat. The Draktar took a step back and grabbed her tail as she passed by, throwing her to the ground.

Midna created a weapon, or, perhaps, made one appear from her odd storage room, and attempted to attack the Draktar holding Leyla, but was met by two of the other Draktar. She swung her thick sword, trying to slice something off; a head, a limb, a claw, anything that could cause the Draktar pain.

Leyla twisted herself around and managed to bite the arm of the Draktar holding her. The creature let out a howl and dropped her in surprise, but reached for her again with sharp claws. Leyla snapped her teeth at him, then hunched her shoulders, making herself appear bigger. The Draktar, however, did not care how big she looked. He reached for her throat, barely missing as Leyla seemed to float to the side, before lunging herself at the Draktar, all without stopping. The Draktar let out another scream of pain as Leyla's fangs sunk deep into his scaly shoulder. He threw her off, and into one of the Draktar preparing to pounce at Midna's back. Leyla twisted around frantically, her claws scrabbling on the Draktar under her. It hissed at her claws, which left deep gouges in its skin, before finally managing to push her off.

Midna swung her sword and brought it crashing down onto the Draktar's head. Leyla grimaced and looked away from the bloody carcass, and barely had time to duck under a blow from own of the two remaining Draktar. Midna swung her sword again, and was successful in slicing off a clawed hand, which went spinning away into the thorny underbrush.

The Draktar's jaw dropped in surprise, and Leyla seized the moment and lunged for his throat, her fangs gripping and crushing it. The final Draktar attempted to become air borne, flapping its wings in a determined-to-not-be-frantic manner. Midna jumped onto Leyla's back, using her as Goron Spring-board, and sliced at the Draktar's wing. The Draktar let out a horrified screech and feel to the ground, where Midna dealt the final blow, her sword slicing deep into his chest.

"Well, that was fun…" Midna huffed, making her sword disappear back into her storage dimension.

Leyla snorted in response, and then turned towards the Spirit. Or, rather, Spirits.

There were two golden lights, one encasing a blue light, the other a white light. Leyla approached them slowly; unsure of whether or not any more enemies were going to appear.

AAA

Panther Tam loped around behind Leyla, sniffing about for any more Draktar. He didn't have to face any again, so far, and he wanted to keep it that way,as long as that didn't put Leyla's life in danger.

"You have done well, Tam." A voice invaded his head, that of the Dream Lady. At least whoever it was seemed to be friendly. Of course, he had yet to meet an unfriendly voice in his head.

"Now what?" Tam tried to think back at her.

"All in good time," she answered. There was a bright flash, and suddenly the mountain side felt warmer. Tam stretched out his paws, and shivered; the snow was no place for a panther.

He looked back over to Leyla and Midna, who were conversing with two Spirits, one with blue hair that cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall-quite literally- and the other with short hair that was whiter than the snow around them. Both of them had clothes similar to the previous Spirits, only with correspondingly colored tints around the edges.

Tam gasped when he saw Leyla become enveloped in water and air, with the latter being visible as white streaks around the water. He then heard the voice of the blue Spirit, Nayru, in his head. "We share the same pool, child, because my spring had become over-run before I could defend myself, so I fled to Hylia." Tam could tell that the answer was really directed to him, but to Leyla. The Spirit had simply decided to let him in on the information because, hey, why not?

"Rest in the village in the mountains before continuing on your journey." The other Spirit, Hylia, said. Not as an offer, nor as a request. This was an order. Tam glanced down at his paws, which had turned into feet and hands, and started back towards Mink and Arctic Fox, when a sudden wind enveloped him. When the wind disappeared, he was standing at the entrance of the village, and Mink and Arctic Fox were right next to him. Why couldn't the Spirit's and Guardians warn him before they did that?

Mink clambered up to Tam's shoulder's and wrapped himself around Tam's neck, shivering.

"What's going on, big bro?" Arctic Fox asked. She wasn't shivering, despite having been snow deprived for a few years.

"Now, we find the warmest bed and sleep." Tam answered.

Leyla and Midna had already picked out the house nearest the entrance to the village, and had settled in. Tam picked the house across from theirs, and headed upstairs to find a warm looking, thickly quilted bed. Arctic Fox claimed the foot of the bed, and Tam, for once, let Mink share the bed as well. After all, it was cold, and the snow was definitely not a place for a mink, even if he was annoying.

Tam settled into the bed, not bothering to take his boots off this time. The blankets were warm and soft, as though they had been recently cleaned. It didn't take long for Tam to fall asleep.

AAA

"Tam, I have something to show you." The Dream Lady appeared, glowing in the nothingness that had temporarily taken over Tam's mind. "I am going to reveal to you what and who Leyla truly is."

"Are you going to show her, too?" Tam asked.

"I will tell her when she is ready. I am telling you now due to your helping me watch over her, and so that I only have to deal with one reaction at a time." The last part of her statement was slightly under her breath, as though half of her didn't want Tam to hear it.

"Ok, well….. Shoot." Tam said, settling down on the dream floor.

The darkness changed, and Tam found himself sitting on the floor of an old nursery. It was a rather wealthy looking nursery, too, as though it belonged in a palace.

"This is where Leyla had lived." The Dream lady said, motioning about the room. "Her parents loved her, and she was well cared for."

"Was her family rich?" Tam asked, then wished he had hadn't said that. It had sounded rather rude.

The Dream Lady looked at him sideways before saying, "More than rich."

The room changed, and they were in a throne room. Two redwood thrones were at the head, and in between was a small chair, meant for a small child. "She was meant to be the ruler of my country."

"Wait," Tam said, standing up. "Wait, wait, wait, _wait_! Hold up! Leyla is a, and do not let me get this wrong, but if I'm not mistaken, and really doubt that I am, she's a _princess_?"

"No," the Dream lady replied, Tam started to ask another question, but the Dream lady said, "she is _the _Princess. She is the single heir to the throne of the Wood-Elves."

Tam stared at her, waiting for the punch line, waiting for her to burst out laughing and commenting on how ridiculous he looked.

Only, she didn't. She looked serious. Dead serious.

Tam grimaced, then glanced at the thrones, at the small chair. He looked back at the Dream Lady. "What happened to her parents?"

"When Ganondorf came, he killed them. Her mother took Leyla and had her run away on one of the horses that had been stabled here. The mother came back to the throne room, ready to defend her country and daughter. She managed to buy a little time, before she followed her husband into death." The Dream Lady's eyes clouded, as though she were on the verge of tears.

Tam didn't notice, he was too busy processing everything. When he could speak again, he asked, "So, why haven't you told her yet?"

"I could not predict how she would react. I could not know if it would make her emotionally incapable of performing the task she needed to complete," the Dream Lady sighed, "she was already so stunned at being in her birth country, I figured I should let that wear off before I gave her some even more staggering news. But, now that you know, I will have less to worry about when I tell her."

"Hold on," Tam said, holding up his hands, "you can predict that I will save Leyla's life, but you can't predict how she will react to finding out who she is?" Tam dropped his hands gave a growling sigh, "That kind of sounds like bear dung to me."

The Dream Lady stiffened at his language, and said, "My powers are limited, especially in this form. I used what I could to see how I could ensure her safety. Telling her of her past will not endanger her; therefore, it was not relevant to know how she would react ahead of time."

"All right, all right," Tam said, settling down again, "just wanted to know."

The Dream lady nodded, then announced, "Time to wake up, Tam. Leyla will be returning to the Wood-Elion castle, and you need to be there to be sure she reaches it safely."

AAA

Tam's eyes fluttered open. Mink was on his chest, and Arctic Fox had moved from behind his feet to on top of them. Tam grabbed Mink and gently pushed Arctic Fox away, then swung his legs off the bed. He lightly tossed a grumbling Mink onto the fluffy pillow and walked over to the bedroom window. He could see Leyla and Midna just outside of the house they had stayed in, talking together and preparing to leave.

How was Leyla going to react? He knew a little about girls, and that was that they cried a lot, for some reason. Maybe she was going to cry? Maybe the Dream Lady had figured that Leyla would just cry?

Of course, Leyla had bit of a violent side, too. Maybe she would yell. And cry.

AAA

"So, you ready to head out?" Leyla asked, stretching. The cold wasn't as bad as the day before, as though ridding the area of Darkness had allowed warmth to touch the mountain.

"Yeah, about that," Midna said, drawing her cloak closer to herself.

"What? What's wrong?" Leyla stopped stretching, searching her friend up and down for any sign of injury.

"Well, there's been a lot of Light Magic going on here, and now that there is no more Darkness, it's kinda… burning." Midna attempted to give Leyla and awkward smile.

"But, I thought Zelda had made it so you could be comfortable here." Leyla said, confused.

"In Hyrule. Here it's different. There's a lot more Light here than in Hyrule," Midna said, shifting her feet uncomfortably. She sighed, then said, "I need to go back to the Twilight realm. I'm sorry, but it's a little too much, and I am still trying to undo what Zant had done to my people."

Leyla nodded, "It's okay. I understand."

Midna smiled again, this time much less awkwardly. "It was fun to see you again." She gently punched Leyla in the shoulder.

"You, too." Leyla returned Midna's friendly punch. The girls hugged, then stepped away from each other.

Muffled voices came from the saddle bag slung over Leyla's shoulder.

"Oh, sorry guys!" Leyla opened the saddle bag and took out the wrapped mirror shard. She unwrapped it and held out to Midna, who took it and peered in.

"You're leaving without saying good-bye to us?" Jav asked indignantly.

"Yeah, please don't forget about us!" Link requested.

"Of course not!" Midna said, "I'll see you guys later!"

"How much later?" Jav demanded, pushing his brother away.

Midna shrugged, "I don't know. Not too soon though, okay? I have the biggest DIY project going on right now, and I need to focus more on it now than ever."

Link pushed Jav away, then said, "See you soon, then!"

"Real soon!" Jav called from out of view.

"Sure, see you soon!" Midna rolled her eyes before handing the shard back to Leyla. She let out a deep breath, then said, "Well, see ya!" She then warped; not using the old, black squares, but turning into a shimmering dust that disappeared into the air.

"See ya," Leyla said quietly when her friend had disappeared. She drew a deep breath, then told herself, "Well, onwards, old girl. Let's go see what the Ghost Lady wants."


	20. Chapter 19: Old Face, New Personality

It didn't take Leyla long to find her way down the mountain, what with her new wings and thicker fur. It felt… odd, to not have Midna with her. She had no one to squeak every time she adjusted herself in the sky, no one to scare the wits out of whenever she decided to perform a 'necessary' flip in the sky. It made everything so _boring!_

Leyla sighed. She missed her company, too, and Midna's absence seemed to make the feeling of hidden eyes watching her intensify, as well.

_ 'It's nothing,'_ she told herself, only half believing it. _'Nothing and no one is following you!' _And if anything was, well, she hoped to Nayru that was Midna waiting to pull a prank on her as revenge for previous flights.

When Leyla had touched the ground again, she had wasted no time in switching from a Gryphon to a horse of blazing fire. She galloped across open fields, her hooves leaving behind only the slightest of scorch marks on the otherwise green grass despite all her flames.

Two days she passed like this, simply running, not even stopping to rest. It seemed that when she was gifted with a stronger flame, she was also given greater endurance. Much greater. However, she found herself feeling exhausted early into the third day, and her galloping was becoming off-beat.

Leyla slowed herself to a trot, then to a walk. It wasn't long before she stopped altogether. Leyla felt a falling sensation, and was thrust into her humanoid form. Tired to the bone, Leyla thought little of it, and let herself fall onto the grass, looking up at the bright sky. She heard muffled shouts from the saddle bag she had strapped to her shoulder –which had survived her flames by some miracle- and reached into it, pulling out the mirror shard.

"Bout time we came out!" Jav growled, irritated. His arms were crossed and his face was red, naming him the shouter.

"What do you want?" Leyla asked, annoyed herself, "I'm tired."

"I want to be able to see something out there," Jav whined.

Link pushed his brother away, coming into view. "Sorry, I was looking through the other shard openings, and was doing my best to ignore him."

"Perhaps you shouldn't distract yourself with those, then," Leyla said, "what am I going to do when someone else hears a voice coming from my bag?"

"Run?" Jav suggested.

"Oh, yeah, that'll be a great help," Leyla dripped in some extra sarcasm, just in case, "look, I'm tired, and I have no patience to for an… a conversation with you, right now."

Leyla then replaced the shard in the bag, despite the boys'-or, rather, Jav's- protests. She lay back and closed her eyes. It was very pleasantly warm….

AAA

"You will not succeed. I could not," Dark Link said, crossing his arms.

Shadow Leyla turned to him, her face unreadable. He still found her pale features rather odd. Rather than looking like a shadow, she resembled a bloodsucking creature, one that had been long since lost to Hyrule's ancient history, thanks to the Wood-Elves.

"I will succeed where you had failed because I know what I am doing," she hissed at him, then turned away, her silver hair nearly whipping him in the face. Her own arms were crossed, and she was watching the Wood-Elven girl impatiently. "You tried to give her a swift death," she said, taking on a lecturing tone, "you cannot do that with one such as her; her power will simply wipe you out, as it had."

Dark Link shuffled his feet behind her. She liked to bring that up and smear it in his face like a fresh road apple. Needless to say that he hated it, almost as much as he hated her. But if it weren't for her, he would still be a blob of a shadow, incapable of anything aside from inducing the Evil King's wrath.

"The way to deal with her is a slow death, with great agony," the other Shade continued, her voice growing ecstatic at the mention of death, "then she can be killed without any… side effects." There it was again, that 'You're such and insult to all things the Evil King created' tone. Or, perhaps it was her 'You're existence is so miserable, you may as well not be alive'. Either way, it was demeaning.

"All right, so I'll do it right this time," he said, immediately regretting those words.

Shadow Leyla hissed loudly at him, and lashed out. Dark Link fell to the ground, the side of his head bleeding. "You will not be allowed to carry out her death. You fumbled that up! Why should I let you do the same here?"

_'A simple 'no' would have sufficed,'_ was what he wanted to say, but doing so would undoubtedly cause him more pain, and he already had a surplus of that. Shadow Leyla turned back to Leyla.

"I will strike in the night, and you will hide yourself. When I make myself visible, you, too, will become visible, unfortunately. I intend for her to see me as the only enemy, one who is powerful enough to defeat her a thousand times over."

_'Arrogant, much?'_ Dark Link thought to himself, hoping that she couldn't read minds. She didn't react, so that was something. Unless she was just going to wait to punish him for his thoughts later. Something struck him, however.

"If you don't want me seen, then why will I be visible?" he asked her.

"An annoying side effect for using the same spell on two beings. You will hide yourself, and you will not come out until I tell you." She answered.

"Ok, then." Dark Link said, sending himself off to hide before he got himself killed.

AAA

When Leyla awoke, it was to the lazy music of crickets and night birds. She sat up, using one arm to support herself while using her other hand to rub at her eyes. It was already dark, which meant she had slept for several hours. Leyla stood up and brushed herself off, ignoring the slight soreness on her arms from sleep lines. Saddle bags not meant to be worn by people, nor were they meant to stay on any living creature during slumber.

Leyla began to transform, but something knocked her to the ground before she could do anything. Leyla grabbed for the hands that had reached for her throat, slowly prying them away. She looked up into the face of her attacker, and nearly lost her grip.

The girl who had tackled her made Leyla feel as though she looking into a mirror; a warped, twisted mirror. Her attacker looked very nearly the same as she did, with her skin been paler and her hair the color of silver moonlight, as well as the color of spilled blood.

"Surprised?" It even sounded like her!

"Hardly," Leyla gasped out. She managed to administer a kick, making it loosen its grip just enough for Leyla to pull its hands away. She reached for her swords, unsheathing them with a flourish.

The thing merely shook its head the way one does when a child doesn't give up on an old game. The Shade reached out its right hand, and thick, black blade grew downwards from its fist. "Well, I came for sport, may as well show me something." It lunged at Leyla, gradually swinging the sword from behind her. Leyla jumped back, away from the blade. She swung her own sword at its head, but it blocked the green tinted blade, as well as the second one, coming from the opposite side.

Leyla jumped away from another attack, then returned with one her own, which was again blocked. It was as though the thing was anticipating her moves! Could it be reading her thoughts? It was a Shadow copy of her, after all.

"Aww, what's the matter?" the Shade cooed as it loped around Leyla. "Too fast for you?" It lunged itself at Leyla, knocking her to the ground. Leyla struggled against its weight, barely surprised to find that it had transformed.

Leyla managed to push the Shade –now in the shape of a large, black, hulking wolf- off, transforming as soon as she could stand. Her arms started to shake, and Leyla noticed, but tried to ignore, a sudden, nauseating tiredness seeping into her body. She hadn't fallen over incapacitated yet.

The dark wolf threw itself at her, jaws open wide, exposing sharp fangs. Leyla ducked away, then snapped her teeth at its tail as it passed, barely missing it. The Shade let out a yelp, then turned back, whipping its tail from Leyla's mouth. The wolf's red eyes appeared to be pulsing, most likely with anger.

Leyla attacked first, this time aiming for the Shade's throat. The Shade simply took a step back, and Leyla bit nothing but the air. The Shade smacked her with a large, sharply clawed paw, sending her sprawling. Leyla tried to get up, but a paw slammed into her side, pinning her down.

"You're a little more powerful than I anticipated," the Shade said, panting slightly, "and while this was fun, I really do need to be rid of you."

Suddenly, nausea and exhaustion flooded into Leyla, leaving her unable to lift even her tail. "You can't kill me…" she managed to get out, "your partner tried…"

"Oh, I know what he did. I know how to do it right." The Shade had changed back to a humanoid form, its knee holding Leyla down. In its hand was a knife with a curved blade, made the same way its sword had been. Leyla could feeling it tensing, and closed her eyes. Suddenly, the pressure on her side and her forehead disappeared, and the Shade let out an incomprehensible shout.

Leyla opened her eyes and saw Tam struggling with the Shade, fighting for possession of the knife. He raised his knee quickly and kicked her in the stomach, causing her to bend over, then grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back, planting her face into the ground, all in the matter of seconds. The knife disappeared in a puff of inky black smoke, and the Shade, letting out a loud growl, did the same.

"Digit," Tam muttered as the smoke that had been the Shade passed through his fingers. Then, realizing what the smoke had been, he jumped back, rubbing his hands on his shirt as though he had been holding the grimiest of animals.

Leyla groaned, and Tam was suddenly at her side. He tapped her head with two fingers rather roughly, then said, "Are you alive?"

Leyla growled, and blinked. She slowly returned to her own humanoid form. The nausea was leaving her quickly, and she was feeling a lot less tired with the absence of the Shade.

Leyla then frowned. "What are _you_ doing here, Tam?"

"Well, if you must know, a weird Ghost Lady told me to follow you around." Tam shrugged. He wasn't looking at her anymore; in fact, he seemed to be greatly distracted.

"Ok, so Malia told you to follow me… After telling me that I had to go alone." Leyla shook her head. "Who does she think she is? My mom?"

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Tam mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing. I didn't say anything."

"Tam, you just-!" Leyla stopped herself, shaking her head again. "Whatever," she growled.

"All right, how about this; how come I didn't notice you?" Leyla probed.

"She put a spell on me that made me invisible and unhearable."

"Invisible and what?"

"Unhearable. As in, you couldn't hear me," Tam explained as though it were the most well-known word in Hyrule.

Leyla just nodded.

Suddenly, Tam sprang to his feet. "Digit, Mink! Get over here!" He turned back to Leyla. "Excuse my language." Then ran off. A few minutes later, he was back, arguing with a brown, squirmy animal, which he held tightly in both of his hands. Behind him followed Arctic Fox, her tail held high like an Alpha who was in command.

"You brought them with you?" Leyla asked, cutting into Tam and Mink's argument.

"Yeah, I couldn't just leave them at home. They'd have torn each other apart!" Tam said indignantly, setting Mink on his shoulder.

Leyla stood up, brushed herself off, then said, "Well, regardless, you aren't invisible anymore, so that probably means that you don't need to be here." She paused. "How did you get here, anyways?"

"Budz let me borrow his key," Tam said. "I spent hours digging for it…" he added with a low growl.

"Well," Leyla said, stretching, "where I'm going is on the way to getting back to Hyrule, so I could take you part of the way, and you can find your own way back, ok?"

Tam blinked. "Um, sure…"

Arctic Fox yapped, and Leyla's mind translated for her: _More walking? How far is it? When will we eat?_

"Not very far," Leyla said, then stopped. She had been planning on using one of her forms to speed her traveling. She didn't know of any of her three, new companions would be up for a ride. "Do you guys fly?"

Arctic Fox looked up at Tam, who shrugged. "Well, it's bit of a challenge, and I still tend to come back to earth right after take-off…"

Leyla then slipped into her gryphon's body, flexing her wings. Tam stared at her in amazement, then said, "Weren't you some sort of brown last time?"

"Upgrade," Leyla shrugged. Tam blinked, then, grabbing Arctic Fox, mounted Leyla.

"A little weird. I'm used to Mother Hummingbird, so this is a little small," Tam commented.

"You've flown with me before," Leyla said.

"I know, but, still…." Tam mumbled before falling silent. Leyla gave a great flap of her wings, sending herself soaring into the air.


End file.
